via Flickr
Florida Republicans have been plotting and scheming ever since formerly incarcerated people won their right to vote again, thanks to Amendment 4. Voters passed this measure, which should have granted people their rights back despite having a record... but now things have changed.
Since Florida is an important state in national elections and otherwise, Republicans couldn’t afford to have so many Black people regaining their right to vote. Thus, we have a modern-day poll tax just like Jim Crow.
So while formerly incarcerated people can vote, there’s a CATCH! They have to pay all their court fees and fines first.
What does that have to do with casting a vote? NOTHING. How much will it cost formerly incarcerated voters? ONE. BILLION. DOLLARS! That’s the sum of all the unpaid fines and fees owed.
A report published by the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers, reported by the Sun-Sentinel, broke down the unwarranted debt as follows:
Felony fines and fees: $534 million, misdemeanor fines and fees: $65.6 million, traffic fines and fees: $136 million. That’s what’s holding back the vote!
When considering how messed up this is, don’t forget how so many of those being prevented are Black and because they have records, they’re more likely to be discriminated against and unemployed.
We’ve been through enough already. Now, the law is again being twisted to block our path to true liberation.