VOTING: “Florida voters will get to decide in November whether to restore voting rights to many residents who have felony records, teeing up a high-stakes campaign in the critical swing state.
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner issued a ‘certificate of ballot position’ for the measure on Tuesday [1-23-18], a spokesman confirmed, and the state assigned ballot number 4, after proponents successfully gathered more than the required 766,200 validated signatures around the state. They also topped signature thresholds in the required number of congressional districts.
The state currently bars nearly 1.7 million people with felony records from casting votes unless they successfully petition the state to regain their rights, according to the Sentencing Project, which advocates for criminal justice policy changes. The ballot measure, pushed by civil-rights advocates, would automatically restore voting rights to former felons once they complete their sentences, including parole and probation, except those convicted of murder or sexual offenses.
Civil-rights advocates have been trying for years to loosen Florida’s tight felon-voting restrictions, but haven’t been able to gain traction in the Republican-controlled legislature. After a long signature-gathering campaign supported by more than $4.6 million in contributions, the issue will now be taken directly to Florida’s voters.”
-Jon Kamp, “Florida to Vote on Restoring Ex-Felon Voting Rights,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 23, 2018 01:04pm