Florida's Voting Ban: 130 yrs old. Dates back to after Civil War
Posted February 1, 2013 07:40 am | Public News Service
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
TAMPA, FL - Florida is one of three states in the country that takes away the right to vote of a person convicted of a felony. Civil rights groups have been fighting the policy for more than 10 years.
Although felons' voting rights can be restored through a lengthy process, people like Joyce Hamilton Henry, director of the mid-Florida regional office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), say that preventing people from exercising their right to vote is an unfair consequence.
"When an individual loses their right to vote,
they're not able to - even when they're back in the
community 10, 15, 20, 30 years. We have heard from
people who have been not able to fully participate in
the democratic process."
The ACLU has submitted documents to the International
Committee on Human Rights urging the group to take a
stand on Florida's voting ban. The civil rights
organization has also urged the state's Clemency Board
to change the state policy when it meets in March.
Hamilton Henry said the number of people granted back
their voting rights has dropped from 24,000 in 2009 to
just 94 last year. She accused the policy of unfairly
targeting those living in poverty and minorities.
According to the ACLU, nearly one in three
African-American men in Florida cannot vote because of
the ban.
"What we're asking of the governor and the members of
his Cabinet," she said, "is to review the situation and
change the clemency rules. Do make it easier for
individuals to get their rights restored."
The Voting Ban has been in place for more than 130
years. It dates back to the Reconstruction Era after the
Civil War.
Graphic by the Columbia County Observer