Felons in Florida no longer have to wait five or more years to vote once their time is served and no court balance is due.
What We Know:
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in favor of granting felons their civil rights back under certain circumstances. On Wednesday, Desantis and members of the Florida cabinet made some changes to the state’s clemency process that will now eliminate the 5-7 years waiting process felons have to face to gain their rights to vote.
- The plan will restore all civil rights only to felons who have paid all court fines, restitution and completed their sentence. Felons who have completed their court time but are unable to pay their fees will have to go up against the clemency board, which may result in their court fines being waived, and them having their rights granted back to them.
- The changes being made will be replacing the waiting period that was created in 2011 by different members on the clemency board. In 2019, Densantis proposed a law that would grant felons their right to vote after waiting 5+ years. That law followed after Florida voters heavily voted for Amendment 4, which granted felons the right to vote in 2018.
- DeSantis believes that felons who had their right to vote restored under Amendment 4 should have their civil rights restored as well. The restoration of civil rights includes the right to vote, the ability to gain licenses for specific jobs and to serve on a jury. The new clemency plan will not apply to those who have been convicted of murder or sex offenses.
The plan is believed to reduce the backlog in the court system.
