discussion FL mass-arresting ex-felons who didn't know they weren't allowed to vote

[Communion]

Quote

When Romona Oliver registered to vote in early 2020 at the Hillsborough Tax Collector’s office, she was asked if she had a felony conviction. She said yes.

 

The women helping her with the form submitted it, Oliver said.

 

She said she was never asked specifically if her right to vote had been restored. Oliver, a Tampa resident, had recently been released from a women’s prison in Florida after serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.

 

In the last few months of her time in prison, Oliver said she’d read about Amendment 4, a constitutional amendment approved by about 65% of Floridians in 2018, which restored the voting rights of most felons who had completed all terms of their sentence.

 

No one told her she didn’t qualify under Amendment 4; the law doesn’t apply to those with sex offenses or murder charges. She registered as a Democrat and got her voter card in the mail.

Quote

“We’ve been banging this drum for years,” Volz said. “If you can’t trust the government to tell you whether you’re eligible in the front end, how can you prosecute somebody in the back end?”

 

The rollout of Amendment 4 in Florida was marred by confusion and legal wrangling after DeSantis pushed state lawmakers to pass a bill that required felons to pay off all fines and fees and restitution before being able to vote, even though Florida has no central database to track court fees.

 

A judge referred to it as an “administrative nightmare.”

 

Nearly two years after Amendment 4 was passed, only about 8% of Floridians with felony convictions had registered to vote, according to a Herald/Times analysis.

 

[Power love]

This is so silly & dumb

[Timber]

Can't they just not count the vote...

[Chiidish]

So evil. 

[Into The Void]

3 minutes ago, Power love said:

This is so silly & dumb

how can people who r free not be eligible to vote? 

[Communion]

2 minutes ago, Insanity said:

how can people who r free not be eligible to vote? 

As of August 2022.

https://felonvoting.procon.org/state-felon-voting-laws/

[Power love]

1 minute ago, Communion said:

As of August 2022.

https://felonvoting.procon.org/state-felon-voting-laws/

I’m surprised Texas isn’t orange but there isn’t that many orange states than god.

[Into The Void]

33 minutes ago, Communion said:

As of August 2022.

https://felonvoting.procon.org/state-felon-voting-laws/

I had no idea

[Moloko Plus]

Hopefully all their cases are thrown out. This is disgusting.

[bad guy]

DeSantis and these random laws that pretend like he's fighting the "culture war" or whatever are getting more and more transparent daily 

[loveisdead9582]

DeSantis is trying to be the next trump. If these people weren’t able to vote then they should have been sent voter cards or apply for voter registration. The individuals being arrested should not be at fault for mistakes the state government made. Also, 20 people would not have swayed the vote. He can **** right off with his ridiculous policies. 

[Zymphonic]

3 hours ago, Communion said:

As of August 2022.

https://felonvoting.procon.org/state-felon-voting-laws/

Wow, that map is depressing.