Amendment 4 advocates criticize Florida House bill that adds restrictions to felon voting rights
A Florida House committee approved a bill addressing the rollout of Amendment 4 despite the likelihood it would undermine the ballot measure’s intent by limiting the number of former felons who could have their voting rights restored.
(Read more in MiamiHerald.com)
Today, Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo released the following statement on Republican legislation passed in the Florida House’s Subcommittee on Criminal Justice:
“Today Republicans pushed through a bill that is a poll tax on returning citizens. No argument can be made that changes the fact that if the bill becomes law it will require hundreds of thousands of Floridians to pay money to vote.
This is the definition of a Jim Crow-era poll tax.”
Florida Republicans Slam the Brakes on Felons Looking to Restore Their Voting Rights
Remember in November when Floridians took to the polls, channeled Spike Lee, and Did the Right Thing by voting “yes” on Amendment 4?
For those who can’t recall the fine details of the citizen-proposed ballot initiative, it reinstated the voting rights for people with felony convictions—excluding murder or sexual offenses—upon completion of their sentences.
