Member Submission: Voting Rights
I have emailed this to several blog,newspaper,s and grassroots organizations. Please join me in speaking up!
Florida constitutional amendment 4 specifically excludes those ex-felons who had committed a sex offense from being re-enfranchised.
Why keep the vote from these people? They did their time, just like any other ex-felon. (And some have been offense-free, and have finished their sentences, for decades.)
What specific reason could there be for excluding them other than simply punishing them again after they have fully completed their sentences?
Are lawmakers somehow afraid that registrants might vote to legalize child pornography or to normalize pedophilia? This is absurd, and yet, there does not seem to be any other reason why sex offenders would be excluded from regaining the right to vote.
According to numerous state and university studies, as well as the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Crime Statistics, they have lower recidivism rates than any other crime type! True, do the research!
They also tend to be more educated than any other ex-criminal.
The State of Florida is allowing persons to regain the vote who are assaulters, batterers, arsonists, bank robbers, smash and grab crooks, embezzlers, con-artists, serial and repeat offenders, gun slingers, gang lords…etc. etc. etc.
Is there any logical reason to keep former sex offenders from voting, or is it just a visceral “I hate you for what you did”?
I am a former sex offender and a current registrant. I will continue to speak out about my right to vote. I cannot express how strongly I feel about this. It is as if the State of Florida has declared war on me for the rest of my life. Are we Floridians really that merciless?
As long as Jim Crow lives on for a few, Jim Crow lives on!
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I have long held this same opinion and It is a large reason I am now part of FAC. Change has always been in the wrong direction until recently. Even though some is from other states, it gives me hope. Florida’s decision to allow ex-felons voting rights just opened the door. We must get through as well. Please tell us which areas of Florida you have sent this to so we may canvas the rest. Also, can we use your post in our letters as well. Court battles are looming and we have time to try and change public opinion
I sent to Tampa Bay Times, Jacksonville Daily Record, ACLU of Florida, Indivisible.org and Bustle.com.
I have not sent it to local (Fort Myers-Naples Ares) TV and radio because I m afraid they they are getting sick of receiving my emails.
Could somebody else send this to them?
I work (and study) full time, so it’s hard to find time.
Please HELP! Send copies of this to every TV Station you can think of.
Every Newspaper
Every Radio Station
Every news network
Send it to court clerks.
Send it Judges.
But Please HELP! 1 or 2 people can’t do it alone.
To Those of you who are helping, THANKS!! 🙂
PS: Yes, you may have noticed some slight “spin” in the verbiage. This is intentional. They spin, why can’t we??
Has anyone every received their civil rights back by Clemency hearing with Governor and Cabinet that you know of?
I want out of Volusia county. I would like to go to New York where my mom is at or possibly Georgia.
I thought about Orlando Florida but the probation and parole department there in Orlando were very rude and disrespectful
When you’re on probation you do not need “permission” to move anywhere within the state. You do however need permission to leave the county.
Also, since you have family in New York you have a good chance of having your probation accepted by that state. You would need to have your probation office assist you in that process.
You always in Florida need permission to move if you are on probation even if you try to transfer your probation out of the county plus that county has to approve you. I tried 2 time’s to have my probation transferred to Tallahassee had a place even had a full time job lined up and got DENIED both times.
I’m unfamiliar with this limitation on moving within the State. Would you be so kind as to link me the statute of part of the statute that states this please?
So true not all restraints are bad they take all the laws that were made for registery way out of control the worse part is murders and registery are the ones no 2nd chances and why is that drugs kill so put the dealers in for a little bit then leave them out to sell drugs again just like prositutes some don’t know anything better in life so start educating people while in prision lot of restraints did their time not to out of turn put some molesters where problably molested them self and didn’t know does anyone ever find out how they were raised look at sucide people do that cause of way of life pushed around so they want to leave so yes legistrative lets redo do laws and really check all facts out. Sure if brother sister your mate you you would keep fighting until you got thing changed well now others are speaking out
Your words ring true but how do we get it to change? Simply writing to Congressmen and Representatives at the State level will not change it! They are the ones that have made this a reality in the first place. What can we do to make the change happen? The only viable path, in my opinion, is through the courts. So when do we start?
Does anyone here remember the 1940’s movie “Miracle on 34th Street”? Remember the scene where they asked for proof of the existence of Santa Claus? And into the court room walked a bunch of postal workers with HUMONGOUS bags of LETTERS addressed to “Santa Clause” and dumped out each bag on top of the judge’s bench?
That’s what we have to do. Imagine if the FL legislature was inundated with PILES of letters regarding our situations with the “after punishment” we go through.
THAT’S when something MIGHT get done and we finally MIGHT be heard.
Forget the nonsense of “that’s just a movie”. Life imitates art, art imitates life.
It’s just an idea.
YESSS!!!! Maestro is right!!!! BAGS OF LETTERS (as it were).
The truth and justice shout loud and clear.
The trick is to keep pricking their consciences.
The trick is to get the average person to start talking about “Do you know what they make sex offenders go through?? Isn’t that a bit too much??!! I mean, Gosh, there has to be a limit!!”
Out of sight is out of mind. Most people have consciences, most people are not haters. The key is to keep bringing our plight into the conversation – Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Look at it this way, every day you eat a big hearty meal (at least I hope you do). Yet you know that there are starving people in the world.
If a starving person kept showing up over and over and over again, I guarantee that you would have a hard time swallowing your food. Your conscience would be pricked, and you would be motivated to help with the problem.
We must insinuate ourselves shamelessly into the daily conversation.
my offense was adjudication with held i can vote no felonies