No voting for registrants in Florida – Governor denies all pending clemency applications.
We are beginning to be notified by members who had pending applications for civil rights restoration that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has summarily DENIED all pending applications for restoration of voting rights for anyone with a murder or sex offense.
This is HORRIBLE!
The letters say:
Dear Mr XXXXXXX,
On March 10, 2021, the Governor exercised his clemency powers to deny the pending clemency applications of all murderers and felony sex offenders. Accordingly, the Governor has denied your request for clemency and your application has been closed.
Under the current Rules of Executive Clemency, you will be eligible to reapply for clemency on March 10, 2023, two years from the date of the denial.
There is no appeal process for the denial of a clemency request.
Sincerely,
XXXX
XXXX
Coordinator, Office of Executive Clemency
The denial of restoration of civil rights not only prevents impacted people from voting, but it also precludes them from obtaining certain professional licenses.
We need to fight this!!!
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Someone needs to talk to the Desantis team because he is a reasonable man and if all he hears everyday is how horrible RSO’S are then yes he will continue to deny anything that benefits us but if he was presented with not just facts but also the fact a lot of RSO’s are on the list for some ridiculous reasons he might think twice before making such harsh decisions. Not to mention people are talking about him for President in 2024 so if he actually starts running this county what an ally he could be
DeSnatis is not a reasonable man.
I vote and I will vote against him every single time. This helped solidify that even more.
We needed to “fight this” back in fall of 2018!
Now it is too late.
You are talking about overturning a Florida Constitutional Amendment.
This should have been fought tooth and nail back when the amendment was first proposed. We should have raised a huge holy stink and been marching in the streets! Now it is too late.
The name of Desmond Meade should have been reviled for what it is: a turncoat!
I was on the ACLU Amendment 4 call to action telephone call. I spoke with the ACLU team that was heading up the voters rights restoration amendment. I asked specifically why were any groups being specifically targeted for exclusion in this amendment and I was told…The ACLU believed the only way the amendment had a chance of being considered was excluding these two groups. I argued, sharing these were the two lowest groups of re-offenders. I was told maybe in the future, after everyone else gets voting rights restored the ACLU would consider supporting the two excluded groups. I shared just remember there is strength in numbers and when there are hundreds of thousands affected, in all walks of life, the impact is stronger than when there are only tens of thousands affected. Their actions are inconsistent with the ACLU motto to find equality for ALL. I was dropped from the Q&A, and the next caller was able to ask his/her questions. At no point were the concerns of the two excluded groups ever discussed again.
So yes, the time was 2 years ago. But please remember that even after Florida voted overwhelingly for YES Restore voting rights per Amendment 4, the Governor said…. NOT SO FAST and placed his requirements in the way of what the people wanted.
I was heavily involved and polling indicated more chance of passing if they excluded murderers and registered citizens. So the question back then was lose the whole thing, or play the odds and win now and then advocate for murderers and registered citizens. The played the odds as I would have done was I i their shoes. The ACLU has been the best outside advocate for us via legal help and suggest we understand and speak well of friends.
The Governor isn’t above retaliation he denied Desmond Meads Pardon after it was it was brought up by Nikki Fried
You can’t have taxation without representation, so are sex offenders then able to live tax free if we are unable to vote for who we want for representation? Just a thought!
It seems to me that you may be able to fight it because there is no process for appeal. Due process denied.
I never have found out what the legal reasoning for denying voting rights for SO or murderers. I mean once you’re off probation that is. This denial isn’t really a surprise given the political climate here in Florida. I can’t vote but I can sure as heck help all those people who can vote and vote these people out of office and hopefully get some more enlightened lawmakers in office.
It’s all 100% political. It’s obvious DeSantis has his sight set on the White House. Can’t give the other side any free “gifts” to use in smear/attack ads. .
I got mine yesterday. Amazing how it took 14 years (in my case) after i properly submitted the application, checked on it a few times a year, to get told NO. Just NO.
How do we fight this when the letter clearly says there is no process for appeal?
All the criminal reform legal and civic orgs I talked to said a DeSantis win would be a loss for our cause. DeSantis is a very smart Yale and Harvard graduate. He knows exactly what he is doing. It is all about the votes from his constituency base and why I am not at all surprised by his stance.
We should consider voting for those candidates that champion criminal justice reform as we have the better shot at winning them over than those candidates that view tougher laws are the solution to law and order.
Absolutely. I will vote for anyone over DeSnatis. He’s garbage.
When interviewed by the Jacksonville Florida Times Union before the last election for Florida governor, DeSantis was asked how he felt about criminal justice reform. His reply was that he was happy with the status quo — i. e., he does not what any changes, and he has definitely followed what he said. He was a former prosecutor in the military.
G, I support what you said earlier about the ACLU. All polls showed that if we had been included, the amendment would not have passed. What would that have accomplished? Nothing. At least this way, we have many people with a past felony who can (or will in the future) be able to vote some day for registered citizens to have the same right. I feel that most of them will support us.