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Florida, DeSantis sued after [the intentionally failed] rollout of felon voting rights restoration
Florida, DeSantis sued after rollout of felon voting rights restorationLAWSUIT - COMPLAINT
Nearly five years after Floridians voted to allow people with felony convictions to restore their voting rights, the coalition that pushed for the change is suing the state, arguing Florida created a system that impedes the will of the voters.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition pushed Amendment 4, a constitutional amendment that allowed people with most felony convictions to regain their right to vote. Voters approved the measure in 2018, with about 65% in support.
The amendment’s passage was hailed as a major civil rights victory, set to undo the post-Civil War prohibition designed to remove Black people from the voter rolls. At the time the amendment passed, it was estimated nearly 1.4 million Floridians would be eligible for restoration.
But the coalition, in a sweeping federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, argues that “the State of Florida has failed to realize the promise of Amendment 4.” It said the issue is not simply “bureaucratic ineptitude” but a “years’ long campaign of acts and omissions ... that have thwarted the aspirations of the citizens of Florida who enacted Amendment 4, and the aspirations of those whose rights it restored.”
The year after Amendment 4 was passed, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill requiring all felons hoping to restore their voting rights to first pay back all fines and fees. But Florida has no centralized way for a person to determine how much they owe, leaving Floridians questioning if they’re eligible. County clerks offices often have outdated information on someone’s fees, and county clerks calculate fees differently, according to the lawsuit.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition pushed Amendment 4, a constitutional amendment that allowed people with most felony convictions to regain their right to vote. Voters approved the measure in 2018, with about 65% in support.
The amendment’s passage was hailed as a major civil rights victory, set to undo the post-Civil War prohibition designed to remove Black people from the voter rolls. At the time the amendment passed, it was estimated nearly 1.4 million Floridians would be eligible for restoration.
But the coalition, in a sweeping federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, argues that “the State of Florida has failed to realize the promise of Amendment 4.” It said the issue is not simply “bureaucratic ineptitude” but a “years’ long campaign of acts and omissions ... that have thwarted the aspirations of the citizens of Florida who enacted Amendment 4, and the aspirations of those whose rights it restored.”
The year after Amendment 4 was passed, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill requiring all felons hoping to restore their voting rights to first pay back all fines and fees. But Florida has no centralized way for a person to determine how much they owe, leaving Floridians questioning if they’re eligible. County clerks offices often have outdated information on someone’s fees, and county clerks calculate fees differently, according to the lawsuit.
“Above all, the Defendants have defeated the promise of Amendment 4, which was to bring about an historic end to a 150-year constitutional injustice in Florida,” the lawsuit reads.
The coalition is arguing the state has violated the Voting Rights Act provision on voter intimidation, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and the First Amendment.
The coalition is arguing the state has violated the Voting Rights Act provision on voter intimidation, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and the First Amendment.
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