Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

U.S. court rules Florida cannot force felons to pay fees before voting

Published 05/24/2020, 07:22 PM
Updated 05/24/2020, 08:00 PM
© Reuters. A voting booth is seen at a polling center inside a fire station in the Coral Gables neighbourhood during the Democratic presidential primary election in Miami

© Reuters. A voting booth is seen at a polling center inside a fire station in the Coral Gables neighbourhood during the Democratic presidential primary election in Miami

By Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge ruled on Sunday that the state of Florida cannot force felons to pay legal fines and other fees before allowing them to register to vote.

The ruling, for now, clears the way for potentially hundreds of thousands of citizens to register to vote in the swing state for the November presidential election.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle found that a new state law amounts to an "unconstitutional pay-to-vote system" imposed on citizens who may not be able to pay fines, or even know if anything is owed.

"The state may disenfranchise felons and impose conditions on their reenfranchisement. But the conditions must pass constitutional scrutiny. Whatever might be said of a rationally constructed system, this one falls short in substantial respects," said Hinkle's ruling in the Northern District of Florida.

A group of Floridians and voting rights organizations sued Republican Governor Ron DeSantis last June, arguing that the law amounts to an illegal poll tax.

DeSantis will have the opportunity to appeal the ruling. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Republican-led Florida Senate drew up the payments bill just months after Floridians approved a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. DeSantis signed the bill into law in June 2019.

At least 775,000 felons have unpaid legal costs, and African Americans are more likely to owe more, according to Daniel Smith, a University of Florida political scientist who testified in a report submitted to the court.

© Reuters. A voting booth is seen at a polling center inside a fire station in the Coral Gables neighbourhood during the Democratic presidential primary election in Miami

Conservatives argued the law was necessary to clarify what is required under the amendment, while critics of the measure said it effectively disenfranchised those potential voters again.

Latest comments

yup .. get the convicts to vote on priority ! must have their support
having debt doesn't mean you're not a us citizens. whoever came up with this thing needs to be fired.
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.