Make restoration of felon voting rights a priority for Florida

Florida is one of only four states with a lifetime ban on voting for those returning to society from prison. Over 1.5 million Floridians who have completed their sentences, paid their fines and served probation are barred for life from voting because of a system that permanently revokes the voting rights of anyone convicted of a felony.

One-third of all arrests are drug-related; only onefourth of those convicted serve any time in prison. Black people make up 17 percent of Florida’s population but make up 48 percent of Florida’s prison population.

Florida requires nonviolent felons to wait five to seven years after probation and parole to file an appeal, which can take one to seven years and requires copies of court records, which can be costly. In addition to this waiting period, it takes seven to nine years before a case is usually heard. Florida’s Clemency Board meets only three times a year, rendering the average wait between 39 and 51 years.

Most states automatically restore voting rights once time is served and after completion of probation and parole. Only Florida, Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia do not. Maine and Vermont allow prisoners to vote while incarcerated.

Restoration of voting rights lowers recidivism, which saves taxpayer dollars. It costs $18,000 annually to house one inmate in a state Department of Corrections facility.

Restoring voting rights also allows for a positive reintegration back into society.

There’s an effort underway to rectify this by the League of Woman Voters, the ACLU and Floridians for a Fair Democracy who have joined forces to place a constitutional amendment on Florida’s November 2018 ballot. To make this happen, 1 million petitions must be filled out and collected by Dec. 31.

A group of community members has earmarked this weekend to bring this issue and petitions to houses of worship. All churches, synagogues or mosques are welcome to participate in this effort to help restore the vote to people who’ve paid their debt to society.

There are copies of the petition in English and Spanish; and they can be found online at www.floridiansforafairdemocracy.com/sign-the-petition

SYLVIA MOFFETT, WEST PALM BEACH Editor’s note: Sylvia Moffett is a West Palm Beach city commissioner.