The right to vote is a foundational constitutional right for United States citizens, but more than 700,000 Floridians are being denied this fundamental right until they can pay a modern-day poll tax.
After a hard-fought 2018 campaign, Florida voters overwhelmingly passed Amendment 4—a state constitutional amendment restoring the right to vote to people with felony convictions who completed their sentence—which enfranchised 1.4 million Floridians who had previously been banned from voting for life.
The Florida state legislature moved immediately to undermine the will of Florida voters and steal this victory, passing a law that requires people to pay all court-ordered fines and fees before the state restores their voting rights. Now 700,000 Floridians cannot vote unless they meet a financial requirement. This is a poll tax, plain and simple.
Florida's returning citizens have more than earned their right to vote. While we work to overturn this heinous law, a high-stakes election is just around the corner. Please chip in $5 to help 700,000 disenfranchised voters pay off their fines and fees so they can finally cast their ballots.
The presidential race is extremely tight in Florida right now, where the 2016 election was decided by only around 112,000 votes. Restoring voting rights to citizens returning from incarceration certainly has the potential to determine the outcome for the whole state.
Clearly many Florida legislators would rather play political games than uphold their constituents' right to vote and have a say in who represents them. But the role of legislators is not to manipulate elections or choose voters who will yield more favorable results for them.
People who've been convicted of crimes do not forfeit their citizenship, and their civil rights must be protected. This poll tax is chipping away at voting rights and must not be allowed to stand. In the meantime, you can help people exercise their right to vote right now.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition—a grassroots, membership organization run by returning citizens—has set up a fund to pay off the fines and fees barring them form voting.
Chip in $5 to help returning citizens pay the poll tax that's standing between them and their voting rights.