In an unprecedented move, Florida passed Amendment 4, giving the right to vote back to most ex-felons in the state.
Excluding those convicted of murder or sexual offenders, all felons will have their voting rights restored upon completion of their sentences, and all ex-felons got their rights immediately restored with the passing of the Amendment.
This means that the 1.4 million ex-felons living in Florida that had no voting rights will be able to vote in the 2020 general election for the first time since they were first convicted.
Before this Amendment, felons had to wait five years after being released from their sentences, and then go in front of a clemency board by appointment and plead their case in order to get their voting rights back after their convictions.
Many tried for years to get their right to vote back and were denied by the board, which consists of the Governor and their Cabinet.
This process led to a large voter disenfranchisement, not only among felons but also among those who know felons who may have felt discouraged by their friends and loved ones being disallowed to vote.
The majority of felons in Florida, just like in all states, are non-violent drug offenders, as are those who are ex-felons.
With those convicted of murder and sexual offenders not being granted their voting rights back, this Amendment further serves to help those non-violent and minor crime offenders feel like citizens adjusted to society again, and give them the ability to have a say in their futures again.
Voting rights for felons are complicated and vary from no relinquishment all the way to spending years trying to regain the right to vote, even after being free. In Maine and Vermont, felons are allowed to vote even while incarcerated, and in 14 states and D.C. felons regain their voting rights after they're released.
But in 21 states, felons must complete all probation or parole before they're allowed to vote again, and in 13, including Florida, after completing their full sentence, ex-felons still need to wait through a period and/or go to a clemency board in order to regain their voting rights.
Now, Florida joins the now 15 states, along with D.C. that restore voting rights to felons as soon as they are released.
This is big news because the disallowing of felons to vote is deeply rooted in racism.
It is a form of Jim Crow law, it is a major form of voter suppression, and it leads to the largest level of voter disenfranchisement among any group in the nation.
Disallowing ex-felons to vote, or making them jump through hoops to get the ability to vote, is a targeted policy primarily against Black men in America.
It stems from the systemic racism that leads to the disproportionate incarceration of Black men in the first place and is just another of many current and historic laws designed to keep Black men from voting in this country.
In an election where voter suppression in many states was not only rampant but also strikingly obvious, a state like Florida with some of the most intense felon disenfranchisement passing a bill like Amendment 4 is massive news. It is the light in the dark.
It will change the face of many future elections in Florida, local and federal. It is the largest restoration of voting rights since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Voter suppression and Jim Crow laws are still present en masse in our country, but Florida has become a light in the dark by passing this Amendment.
There is a lot of news in these midterms, and it has caused both joy and disappointment for many, regardless of their political affiliations. In all of this news, though, the most important and what should be the most universally well-received is Florida taking this huge step towards fair elections and towards ending historically racist voter suppression and disenfranchisement.
Florida, you may have disappointed people in some ways today, but you have made your entire country proud by passing Amendment 4, and I cannot wait to see what happens in 2020.
