Florida felons face costly hurdle to voting in November, despite change in state constitution

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A law requiring felons to pay all fines, fees and restitution before gaining the right to vote is expected to keep more than 770,000 from casting ballots.

before the November election, Betty Riddle said she will do what she does most Saturdays – visit neighborhoods in her Sarasota hometown, urging felons like her to get on Florida voter rolls.“I’m mad as hell,” said Riddle, 63, who had been barred from voting after being convicted of assault at age 17.

With Monday the deadline for registering to vote in Florida for the Nov. 3 election, court-assessed financial obligations will continue to bar a massive pool of potential voters in the nation’s biggest presidential swing state, despite efforts that have raised $20 million to cover these costs helped by such celebrities as the NBA’s LeBron James and billionaire Michael Bloomberg, the former Democratic presidential candidate.

But many felons have no idea what they owe, and Florida court clerks have no centralized system for determining these financial obligations, some going back decades and involving several jurisdictions. The effort in Florida will go beyond the presidential election, said CK Hoffler, the association’s president.

“As a practical matter, I think they’re still disenfranchising these people,” Sukhatme said. “If you’re just trying to make ends meet, but there’s a thought that there’s a chance you get prosecuted if you try to vote, I’m not going to do it. Why would I?”“I know what people are going through,” said Riddle, who said she plans to pay at least $2,000 in court fees and fines she owes before voting in November. “Some people are discouraged. And there are a lot of angry people out here.

But he acknowledged the appellate court ruling has disrupted voter registration efforts, and that among felons with outstanding legal obligations a much smaller cohort is likely to be added to the voter rolls this year than hoped for.

 

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Good. Felons need to serve and fulfill all aspects of their punishment. Commit crimes and you run the risk of losing your rights. Simple stuff here folks.

Convicted felons should NEVER be allowed to vote again. If one value that right then one should not commit felonies. Not a terribly hard concept to grasp.

Goes against the UN convention on civic and political rights.

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This has been in effect for decades. It didn't just happen in 2020.

Your privilege has been gifted back to you!

Dont forget trumps proudboy endorsement with all this smoje and mirrors

The USA is sick. SaveAmerica

And?

It's like confiscating my Driving-License just because my car brokedown on a busy road. Looks harsh.

You should think about the victims of the criminal acts that they owe the restitution to.

A felony is not like j-walking. Usually involves violence or a serious crime. Why would we trust them?

Its part of their sentence and they need to fullfill their entire sentence, not just jail time portion

That law needs to be repealed in the real world. There is no reason for that requirement except to be overly punitive to various people.

Another way for the rich to suppress the poor.... 😞

MikeBloomberg

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