Florida Voters Overwhelmingly Restore Voting Rights For 1.5 Million People

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In good news for voting rights on Tuesday night, Florida voters approved a measure – Amendment 4 – that will restore voting rights for 1.5 million felons who completed their sentences.

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The measure received the 60 percent approval it needed to pass in the state. The Hill reports on what it means:

Under the newly passed law, Florida will return voting rights to an estimated 1.5 million felons who have completed the terms of their sentence, including parole and probation. It does not apply to felons convicted of murder or sex offenses.

The constitutional amendment required approval by 60 percent of Florida voters to pass.

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The majority of U.S. states return voting rights to felons after the individual fulfills a range of requirements, but in Florida the process previously could take up to a decade.

The measure will impact future races in Florida

While the passage of Amendment 4 won’t have an impact on the current races in Florida, which are still too close to call at this hour, it could greatly impact elections going forward.

As The Hill pointed out on Tuesday night, “The majority of the disenfranchised voters who will now have their voting rights returned are Democrats, according to a Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald analysis.”

Year in and year out, Florida is always one of the closest battlegrounds in the state, whether in a presidential or midterm year. With more of the state’s citizens seeing their voting rights restored on Tuesday, Florida

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.