Legal Commentary

Florida: Big Increase in Ex-Offender Voting Requests

By Jeralyn

We all know that by the time the Supreme Court got done with Bush v. Gore, President Bush won Florida by 537 votes.

The Wall St. Journal (free link) reports that requests for restoration of voting rights is up in Florida.

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist went against his party a year ago and made it easier for felons to regain their voting rights. The process has been slow, however -- stirring controversy in a state expected to be closely fought in this fall's elections.

Florida's clemency board has restored voting rights to nearly 75,000 residents. But nearly 96,000 requests are pending, according to information through March 20. Activists say there might be an additional 400,000 people who have been rejected without explanation, making it impossible for them to be reinstated.

It's not just Florida. Across the country, there are 5.3 million people who have lost the right to vote due to felony convictions. The Brennan Center reports that 4 million of them are no longer in prison. [More...]

Maine and Vermont are the only states that allow felons to vote while incarcerated. Thirteen others and the District of Columbia allow inmates to regain the right to vote after their release, according to the Sentencing Project, a Washington advocacy group. Other states limit voting based on factors including the severity of a crime, the completion of probation and the payment of fines.

Churches are playing a big role in helping Florida's ex-offenders.

In Florida, churches are hosting rights-restoration sessions. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a group of 40 organizations, is planning a daylong rally for April 1 in Tallahassee. The state's clemency board is trying to reach out to as many people as possible to tell them of the changes. It held 17 hearings across the state and is preparing a leafleting campaign in convenience stores, churches and other well-traveled areas.

Inside the fellowship hall of the Greater Bethel AME Church in the Overtown area of Miami, more than 100 residents with criminal records listened to representatives from the state attorney and public defender offices explain how felons can register. Those with more-serious crimes worked their way to the table staffed by the ACLU and University of Miami School of Law students.

Not every former felon is eligible for re-instatement in Florida. Their crimes must have been non-violent, and those felons must have completed their prison term, probation and parole, if applicable, and made any payments the court orders, including child support."

The Sentencing Project has recent news of efforts to refranchise former felons. The Brennan Center's webpage on restoring voting rights is here.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 01, 2008 (boomark / email).