Thanks to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News for this post.

Florida is home to more than 1.5 Million Citizens who can’t cast a Vote in Elections unless granted Clemency by Gov. Rick Scott. But that could change in November 2018.

State Election Officials Verified that the Constitutional Amendment that would Automatically Restore the Voting Rights of Convicted Felons, except for those Convicted of Murder and Sexual Offenses, has enough Signatures to qualify it for the Ballot.

Desmond Meade, a former Felon and Chairman of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition that pushed the proposal, said he was in his car on Tuesday when he got the news. “I’ve been crying and it hasn’t fully hit me yet,” Meade said.

If the Measure passes, Meade will be among many of the 1.5 Floridians who would regain their Right to Vote. The boost in Voters in the Nation’s largest Swing State could be a big impact on the 2020 Election, but for Meade the initiative is more about creating a more “inclusive democracy.” “I am not concerned about how they will vote,” he said, “it is about given them back the opportunity to do so.”

The Amendment would Restore the Voting Rights of Floridians with Felony Convictions after they complete all Terms of their Sentence, including Parole or Probation.

Currently, more than 6 Million People Nationwide are Banned from Voting because of Laws unique to their States that keep Convicted Felons from Voting, nearly 25% of that Population is in Florida, according to data from the Sentencing Project.

The latest change to the State’s Clemency process was in 2011 when Scott implemented a Five-year Waiting period before Ex-Felons could Apply to have their Voting Rights Restored. But last year, a group of Felons Sued to Restore Voting Rights.

The Suit said the Number of Applications granted significantly dropped since Scott took Office in 2011, with only 2,488 Application Cleared. Scott’s predecessor, Charlie Crist, granted 155,133 Applications during his time in Office.

In order for the Initiative to make it on the Ballot it needed 766,000 Certificate Signatures before Feb. 1st. The Initiative had more than 799,000, according to Data from the State’s Division of Elections.

“We are now a step closer to making Florida a second chance state,” Meade said.









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