YOU did in your earlier post: “To change that further would require another amendment to the Florida Constitution that would expressly INCLUDE sex offenders and murderers. That’s never going to happen.” The reason they placed this on the ballot was because legislators are NOT going to act to restore ANY ex-felon’s voting rights. It would have done no good to include sex offenders if it would destroy any chance of its passing. At least it would add SOME ex-felons to the rolls, and give them a chance to vote the “bums” out. You live in Florida. You know what the political ads would look like if sex offenders were included. Disenfranchisement is a national issue. A change in one state’s constitution isn’t going to stop the national fight. In fact, the exclusion of sex offenders would add fuel to the bigger, national discussion of mistreatment of registered sex offenders. Would it be better if they hadn’t tried at all? Change has to start somewhere, but it doesn’t have to end there. Can FAC come up with a constitutional amendment proposal including sex offenders that would actually pass in Florida? They took action to try to help some disenfranchised people, and pursued the only realistic possibility. What else do you think they could have done?

Who admitted that it would not pass if everyone was included?

Those putting forth this amendment should advocate for an Amendment that does not discriminate.

We are not telling people how to vote – we are telling people to vote their conscience. If you want to support it – we support your first amendment right to promote it.

If you don’t think that an amendment expressly including sex offenders and murderers can ever happen, what would suggest the people who put forth this amendment do? You admit that it wouldn’t pass if everyone was included. We have already been discarded. The legislature holds out no hope for change. At least this would get some ex-felons back on the voters’ rolls, and they could help elect some common sense legislators and governors. It would also be something that opens up more possible challenges in federal courts as a violation of equal protection under the law rights. It would be a start. You can’t fight the politicians the way things stand right now, so you need to find a way to change the politicians. Bringing other disenfranchised people into the voting booth could help.

Debbie, I totally agree with you. The military taught me to leave no man (or woman) behind!

The attitude is similar to a legislative proposal up here in Michigan to restore good time credits in prison, thus reducing long sentences a little. Before they would vote on it, they felt that they had to add a clause to it that excluded sex offenders from good time. Yet, convicted sex offenders are already getting very long sentences and are passed over by the parole board at much higher rates than other inmates. In the end, even the watered down version didn’t pass, because the politicians don’t want to appear to be soft on crime. It is hard to believe that convicted sex offenders aren’t recognized as a protected class against discrimination, when the evidence of rampant discrimination is right out in the open.

Yup, when I was on probation that I had to report to my officer on a monthly basis there were many people there reporting from all walks of life with different charges. Mostly fraud, robbery, burglary, and lots of people with drug convictions… and then of course some violent crimes like assault, battery and such. In my years there reporting I only saw 1 with a murder conviction who after a 45 year sentence he was granted parole. We all looked at him like if he were a rare species.

Vote NO… it’s all of us or none of us.

Vote no… there will never be a legal challenge to the exact wording that the people voted on. Remember in Florida it needs 60% to pass.

” What this ballot measure will do is discard our population permanently. ”

and that right there is scary enough. Thank you for being on top of this FAC. Also to HRDC