State Opts Not to Revoke Ex-Felons’ Voting Rights
The state Division of Elections has done an about-face and decided it will allow voting by almost 2,500 former felons whose restored voting rights had been threatened with revocation.
The agency initially said state law required that ex-felons be deleted from the rolls because they registered before being granted clemency. Florida is one of seven states that do not automatically restore civil rights after felons are released.
The decision in Tallahassee by Secretary of State Glenda Hood drew praise from civil rights groups, which argued that qualified voters could have been barred because of administrative errors.
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