Convicted Floridian Felons Allowed to Vote in 2020 Presidential Election: What It Could Mean on a National Level

Under Florida’s Amendment 4, convicted felons who have served their sentences are voting for the first time, an act that could potentially swing the 2020 presidential election. Amendment 4, the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative, was crafted to “automatically restore the right to vote for people with prior felony convictions, except those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense, upon completion of their sentences. Sentences include prison, parole, and probation” (Florida Association of Counties, 2020).

The initiative, approved in 2018 with vast support, granted felons their right to vote in a state (Florida) which once disenfranchised convicted felons. According to Julie Ebenstein, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s voting rights project, approximately 1.6 million convicted felons in Florida who had completed their sentences were not allowed to vote. Furthermore, a federal appeals court ruled that convicted felons must pay the entirety of any expenses and fines before having their ability to vote restored.

A Tampa, Florida resident who has voted for the first time in 42 years shared that convicted felons who have served their time,

…live to vote and die trying to vote. My vote is just as important as theirs. My rights are just as important to me. I made some mistakes back in those days, I lost that right. But I paid my dues to society.

Clifford Tyson, Tampa, Florida resident pastor

Data shows that, despite a population of 21 million Floridians (over 7% of which are former felons), only 13 million people are registered voters in Florida. Thus, in the event the 1.4 million former felons registered to vote in Florida exercise their voting right, they would make up approximately 10% of voters in the state — possibly affecting the 2020 presidential election’s outcome. Florida being a swing state, its affect on the election is not an improbable one, as the state decided the 2000 presidential election between former Republican president George W. Bush and Democratic nominee Al Gore by fewer than 600 votes.