Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is moving to rein in felon voting rights after a historic constitutional amendment turned back a law with origins in the aftermath of Reconstruction
The legislative battle is a reminder of the high political stakes in Florida, where voters backed both Barack Obama and Donald Trump in recent presidential elections. The marquee races in last year’s elections, U.S. Senate and governor, were so tight that both were forced into recounts.
Florida’s constitution previously stripped voting rights from convicted felons. Florida’s governor and elected members of the Cabinet have the power to restore rights, including voting rights, to former prisoners, but the process and rules have changed based on who is in charge. In January, local election supervisors began accepting voter registration forms from state residents previously considered ineligible to vote. But they’ve left it to the Department of State to determine whether or not a registrant was newly eligible under the amendment.
Democrats likened the requirement to a poll tax that forced residents to pay to register to vote. Amendment 4 backers say the Republican interpretation goes beyond what voters approved. Grant pushed back against critics, noting that attorneys representing Amendment 4 supporters told state Supreme Court justices in 2017 that court costs and fines were considered part of someone’s sentence.
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