Florida has been working very hard to stop people from voting. Fear has the state shaking in its boots, after voters overwhelmingly approved a measure giving the formerly incarcerated the right to participate in the 2020 election.
But the state’s sneaky plans to stop them keep failing.
Initially, FL tried to stop once-incarcerated people from voting by saying, “Pay all the fines and fees owed to the state first!” This modern-day poll tax hasn’t worked out so far.
A judge ultimately blocked the measure, but that didn’t stop the state’s Republicans.
The disenfranchisement of people who have been imprisoned, also known as “felon disenfranchisement,” has racist origins. These laws are considered constitutional, but the effort to block these voters in Florida with fines doesn’t apply for a reason.
An appeals court ruled that what Florida attempted was unconstitutional because it “violates the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.”
This is major! It could tip the scale in the 2020 election - which is why Florida is fighting so hard.
Just because someone has been imprisoned doesn’t mean they should lose their right to vote. This has more to do with trying to limit the reach of our power as a community and less to do with justice. Don’t let anyone tell you differently!