In November, Florida voters will be voting on The “Voting Restoration Amendment,” which was approved to appear on the ballot today as Amendment 4.
The amendment would automatically restore voting rights to felons who have served their sentences, completed parole or probation and paid restitution. However, the amendment would not apply to “murderers and sex offenders”.
While we’re pleased that this change would benefit 1.5 million Floridians, plus any that come hereafter, who are not able to vote. We are really bothered by the blanket exclusion of “murderers and sex offenders”. It’s just one more item to add to our list of things to challenge.
If anyone wants to contact Floridians for a Fair Democracy, the political committee that pushed for the amendment, to find out why the exclusion, you can email them at [email protected].
Please let us know what they say!
Sc,
Agreed, the addition of murders to the amendment serves only to create the illusion that SOs aren’t specifically targeted.
Curious, was the petition peddler in support of or opposition to this proposal? How does he figure it’s a “step in the right direction”?
Think i made him uncomfortable by confronting him on the issue. I was, and still am, pissed off at the exclusion and my questioning him on it was beyond what he expected. He didn’t seem like a bad fellow, but my line of questioning was clearly unexpected.
My guess is that seemed like a rational answer. And looking at it from a different viewpoint I see, but don’t agree, with it.
came to a conclusion PAST sentence offenders have no voice to change , out look on sexual cases. Why is this happening.
I want to know what” they” are afraid of…that maby we would vote for fair treatment as x- felons and to be treated as equal offenders to any other criminal offender? That maby we would vote from statics rather than provoked unjust fears. That maybe we would vote for people who don’t care about how other politicians may view their compassion towards offender who have paid their debit to social standards that were in place when the offenders we’re sentenced. That maybe we would vote for the chance to live in peace by being removed from public register. We would do what, if we could vote? Maby they are afraid that our vote would change the way we in prison our sense of self worth through public shame… Again I ask…What are they afraid of?
This is the Link for the current Lawsuit to restore Felons Rights
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/20848904/Hand_et_al_v_Scott_et_al
I dont see how this is legal when you omit a class of Felons. I also hope this does not stop the pending lawsuit that I believe would grant rights to ALL Felons. If you served your time and have completed all conditions why should you continue to be punished?.
Anonymous – would you reach out to the plaintiff’s attorneys and see where things stand? FAC would help perpetuate the suit if it would benefit our population.
I was at the dmv last October before it opened that morning. There was a man with this particular ballot in mind going down the line asking people for their signatures. It took him a moment when told him that i do not vote nor would I sign the petition as it would not affect me.
I sort of vented on him for something that he didn’t write. His explanation was that yes, it excluded s.o’s and murderers but with those 2 groups of people added that the petition would likely fail to pass.
He at last tried to amend his reasoning with “at least it’s step in the right direction…” /shrug
The last figures I’ve heard was the average murderer spends 7yrs behind bars
I was in with many, i had met few with any chance of parole. Most that i met had been in prison for at least 15 years already. Attempted murderers, that’s a different story that fits your figure of 7 years however.
Are they saying a misdemeanor sex offense is the same as amurder
In a word? Yes.
What they aren’t saying is that there are very, very few convicted murders released from prison. Call it guess but i think that adding that group of individuals may have been tactical. See? We aren’t targeting sex offenders. Nope, not here in Florida.
I’m a sex offender but Adjudication was Withheld and I was not convicted of a Felony so I never lost my voting rights, will this affect me?
no