Jim Rosica
A panel of state economists haven’t been able to figure out how much the Voting Restoration Amendment would cost the state.
The proposed change to the state constitution would automatically return voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences.
The Financial Impact Estimating Conference is tasked with estimating costs of constitutional amendments. This one gave them a struggle.
“It is probable that the amendment will result in increased costs to state and local governments due to the higher volume of felons registering to vote (but) the specific dollar amount cannot be determined,” the conference’s final report said.
They did say “increased costs will be higher in the earlier years of implementation due to the amendment’s retroactive application.”
A ballot summary says: “This amendment restores the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation.
“The amendment would not apply to those convicted of murder or sexual offenses, who would continue to be permanently barred from voting unless the governor and Cabinet vote to restore their voting rights on a case-by-case basis.”
State elections officials certified in September that supporters had collected enough signatures for review by the Florida Supreme Court, with the eventual hope of getting the initiative on the 2018 ballot.
The court reviews proposed amendments to the state constitution to ensure they cover only one subject and that their ballot title and summary aren’t misleading.
One comment
Roger Clegg, Ctr for Equal Opportunity
October 31, 2016 at 4:25 pm
If you aren’t willing to follow the law yourself, then you can’t demand a role in making the law for everyone else, which is what you do when you vote. The right to vote can be restored to felons, but it should be done carefully, on a case-by-case basis after a person has shown that he or she has really turned over a new leaf, not automatically on the day someone walks out of prison. After all, the unfortunate truth is that most people who walk out of prison will be walking back in. Read more about this issue on our website here [ http://www.ceousa.org/voting/voting-news/felon-voting/538-answering-the-challenges-to-felon-disenfranchisement ] and our congressional testimony here: [ http://judiciary.house.gov/_files/hearings/pdf/Clegg100316.pdf ].
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