What does citizenship mean if you can’t vote?

Citizenship through the eyes of those who have lost the right to vote [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 1 August 2018 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Editor's note In November, voters in Florida will decide on a measure that would restore voting rights to felons upon serving their sentence. Florida stands out among states with laws that restrict voting based on criminal convictions, with 10 percent of adults in Florida unable to vote because of felony convictions. Criminologist Kimberly Kras, who has interviewed ex-felons, writes that being unable to vote can discourage their efforts to reintegrate into society as engaged citizens, while also leaving large swaths of [poor people and people of color without political representation](. The Episcopal Church has decided to revise its prayer book so as to refer to God in gender-neutral terms in place of the male pronoun. In early Christian writings and texts, [many feminine terms]( describe God, argues scholar of Christian origins and gender theory David Wheeler-Reed. God gives birth, is a woman in labor and a mother comforting her children, he writes. When psychology professor Georgene Troseth read the first Harry Potter book back in the late 1990s, she thought the text was rich with metaphors for key concepts in child development. Today, the Vanderbilt professor uses the wildly popular book about the orphaned boy who discovers he’s a wizard to get first-year college students to [appreciate their own resilience](. Danielle Douez Associate Editor, Politics + Society Top stories Voting booths. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid [Citizenship through the eyes of those who have lost the right to vote]( Kimberly R. Kras, University of Massachusetts Lowell More than 6 million US citizens can't vote because they've been convicted of a felony. But states are beginning to change their laws. Will it make a difference? All Saints Episcopal Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Carolyn Fitzpatrick [What the early church thought about God’s gender]( David Wheeler-Reed, Albertus Magnus College In early Christian texts, God gives birth to Israel and is described as a woman in labor and a mother comforting her children. Harry Potter books have captured the imaginations of entire generations. Clark Jones/Courtesy of Scholastic, Inc./AP [Why I use Harry Potter to teach a college course on child development]( Georgene Troseth, Vanderbilt University A developmental psychologist explains how she uses Harry Potter books to make child development more relatable to first-year college students, many of whom grew up on the wildly popular books. Health + Medicine - [Overhydrating presents health hazards for young football players]( Tamara Hew-Butler, Wayne State University Yes, it's hot outside. And football practice is starting for thousands of kids. But coaches and parents should be careful about tellings kids to drink more water. That has been deadly. Arts + Culture - [The infantilization of Western culture]( Simon Gottschalk, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Our social institutions and politics suffer from a collective arrested development – and our relationship to technology has only exacerbated this trend. Economy + Business - [New sanctions on Russia and Iran are unlikely to work. Here’s why]( David Cortright, University of Notre Dame Recent proposals to slap new sanctions on both Russia and Iran in hopes of punishing them and changing their behavior are unlikely to be effective for three reasons. Politics + Society - [Iran and America: A forgotten friendship]( Daniel Thomas Potts, New York University There was a time when Iran and America were friends. Americans founded schools there, helped Iran handle financial crises and trained the country's first generation of doctors. Could that happen again? - [Is Trump profiting from his office in violation of the Constitution? Judge allows emoluments case to move ahead]( Mark Kende, Drake University The court carefully considered what the word 'emoluments' meant at the time the Constitution was drafted. Science + Technology - [Parts of the Pacific Northwest’s Cascadia fault are more seismically active than others – new imaging data suggests why]( Miles Bodmer, University of Oregon; Doug Toomey, University of Oregon A new array of seismometers provides a glimpse of what's happening deep beneath this geologic fault. New data help explain why the north and south of the region are more seismically active than the middle. Environment + Energy - [The demise of US nuclear power in 4 charts]( Ahmed Abdulla, University of California San Diego Commercial nuclear reactors provide roughly one-fifth of the electricity produced in the US. But they face grave threats to their continued operation. Trending on site - [Why do paper cuts hurt so much?]( Gabriel Neal, Texas A&M University Ouch! Who hasn't felt the effects of a paper cut and then cursed the gods or themselves for the injury? But have you ever wondered why they hurt so much? A professor of family medicine explains why. - [How old is my pet in dog years or cat years? A veterinarian explains]( Jesse Grady, Mississippi State University Based on his age in 'dog years,' could your animal pal legally buy alcohol? Or would he be cashing in on his senior discount? Veterinarians are more interested in life stage than a particular number. - [Don’t lose sleep over it: Even if you don’t get enough shut-eye, most fixes are easy]( Brandon Peters-Mathews, Stanford University Are you sleep deprived? Don't worry. That might make the situation worse. Instead, make some simple adjustments, such as staying off digital devices an hour before bedtime. Today’s quote ["Facebook’s efforts to promote what might be called 'corporate digital responsibility' runs counter to the company’s business model."]( [How Facebook could really fix itself]( Bhaskar Chakravorti Tufts University [Bhaskar Chakravorti] [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111