Florida Clemency Board

For the past decade, felons in Florida have had to wait at least five years after being released from prison before becoming eligible to have their civil rights restored. But on Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, acting as the Board of Executive Clemency, did away with the waiting periods.

Desmond Meade graduated from law school, made it onto Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people and was at the forefront of a successful crusade to restore voting rights to convicted felons in Florida.But the former drug dealer who was tossed out of the Army three decades ago hasn’t redeemed himself enough to be pardoned for his crimes by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.

Vote by mail began this week in Florida for the 2020 Primary Election and thousands of ballots have already been cast. Not part of this election however is millions of felons who won’t be allowed to vote. Those given the right back through Amendment 4 have been stymied by the court's most recent action, and those waiting for clemency likely won’t get a chance.

Florida is appealing a ruling that says it cannot require felons to repay fines, fees, and restitution before registering to vote. Opponents call that requirement a poll tax. The ruling came two years after voters approved a state constitutional amendment allowing most felons to receive their voting rights back. The second part of this series looks at the history of felon voting and what led to 2018's Amendment 4.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is calling on Governor Ron DeSantis to reinstitute the automatic restoration of voting rights.

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition is pushing the state clemency board to ease its rules and clear the way for more felons to regain their rights.…

Florida’s clemency process has faced criticism for being harsh, laborious, and too slow. In 2018, a judge ruled it unconstitutional. But the state…

Florida held a clemency board meeting Wednesday for 70 of the 13,000 felons seeking to have their rights restored. Commissioner Nikki Fried is a member of…

A federal appeals court is eyeing a date to hear arguments in Florida’s ongoing legal battle concerning the restoration of felon voting rights. The News…

The fight to restore voting rights for those with a felony in their past has become a rapidly intensifying factor in shaping upcoming state elections.…