How to Help Florida Voters Get Past Criminal Suffrage
With the great uncertainty surrounding what will happen in the next few weeks, many of us are very worried about the upcoming elections. While much is beyond our control, there are things we can do to get us to vote, starting with making sure we sign up on time ourselves.
But if you’re looking for another way to make a difference and have been able to make a donation, there is something you can do to help provide voting rights to Florida voters who have previously been convicted of felonies. Here’s how to do it and why it matters.
What’s going on in Florida?
So here’s the situation. Back in 2018, Florida residents voted to restore voting rights to an estimated 1.2 million people in the state who had previously been convicted of a felony and therefore disenfranchised. Great! But not so fast: In 2019, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that severely restricted voting options for people previously convicted of felonies.
It is essentially a pay-per-vote policy : Florida residents with past criminal convictions can only vote if they have served their prison sentence and / or probation and paid all of their legal debts, including fines, fees, and restitution. This could effectively (re) disenfranchise up to 775,000 people in the upcoming elections.
Although the 2019 law was challenged in court, on September 11, 2020, a federal appeals court ruled to uphold it, sided with DeSantis. “This ruling is contrary to the fundamental principle that Americans should not pay to vote,” Julie Ebenstein, senior attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project, told The Associated Press . “The seriousness of this decision can hardly be overestimated. This is an insult to the spirit of democracy. “
How You Can Help Florida Voters
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition is now raising funds to cover fines and fees for Florida voters previously convicted of felonies and once again disenfranchised. They have already attracted some major donors such as Michael Bloomberg and John Legend, and 100% of the money raised will go towards paying off voters’ outstanding debts.
And although they have already brought in several million dollars, they only made 72% of the way to their goal. If you are interested in doing this, you can donate here .