Staff Reports
A proposal to allow the automatic restoration of non-violent ex-felons’ voting rights cleared a Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) committee on Thursday.
The CRC’s Ethics and Elections Committee OK’d the measure (P7) by a 6-2 vote.
“If successful, Smith and Joyner’s proposal would bring Florida in line with most of the states in the nation that already allow for automatic restoration of rights following completion of felons’ sentences and repayments of any outstanding fines,” a press release from the Florida Senate Democratic Office said.
The proposal is backed by commission members Arthenia Joyner of Tampa and Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale, both former Senate Democratic Leaders.
“Currently, anyone convicted of a felony is required to wait at least five years, and then appeal to the governor and Cabinet to regain their rights, a cumbersome process that was begun shortly after Gov. Rick Scott began his first term of office,” it added. “His predecessor, former Gov. Charlie Crist had been the first governor to allow automatic restoration of ex-felons’ rights, with the exception of violent offenders, ending a practice many saw as a continuation of the Jim Crow era.
“Since ending Crist’s automatic restoration of rights, the waiting list of Floridians seeking restoration of their rights has reportedly grown to more than 20,000. That number is part of the more than 1.6 million residents of the Sunshine State disenfranchised as a result of prior convictions, more than a quarter of the total nationwide. Only Iowa and Kentucky join Florida in banning former felons from voting.
“If the full CRC signs off on the measure, the proposal next moves to the voters for approval on the November 2018 ballot, and 60 percent are required to add automatic restoration to the state Constitution.” It has one more committee stop before it comes before the full commission for consideration.
A separate but similar constitutional amendment, backed by a citizen initiative, is called the “The Voting Restoration Amendment.” It now has 750,723 valid signatures toward the required 766,200 needed for ballot placement.
2 comments
Roger Clegg
January 18, 2018 at 10:53 pm
The right to vote should not be restored automatically but only after the felon has shown he has turned over a new leaf. That’s because unfortunately most felons wind up back in prison and if you won’t follow the law yourself then you can’t demand the right to make the law for everyone else which is what you do when you vote.
Brigham Johnson
January 19, 2018 at 11:15 pm
Holding that “most felons wind up back in prison” is not justification for disenfranchising those who don’t. If/when someone recidivates, they lose their right to vote again, probably for a longer period of time. We must apply the law on a case-by-case basis and accord citizens their presumption of innocence until proven guilty. This includes, for free people, having a say about matters of war and peace, levels of taxation, school board policy, and who is the dog catcher. Democracies are not afraid of citizens who vote according to their interests. Or does it mean something different when the Declaration of Independence says that just governments must have consent of the governed?
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