Felon Voting Rights

The court could decide a legal dispute stemming from a high-profile move by Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials in 2022 to target alleged voter fraud by people who have been convicted of a felony.

Florida election officials say they're working to “streamline” a process for formerly incarcerated people to figure out whether they're eligible to vote. It's something advocates have long asked for.

State elections officials are moving forward with an updated process aimed at providing more “certainty” for people to determine if they are eligible to vote.

State election officials took suggestions about how to update the process for felons to seek what are known as advisory opinions about their eligibility to vote, with advocates calling for a procedure that provides “certainty” for people who have completed their sentences.

While many states have been making it easier for those people to vote after serving prison time, Florida and some other states have made it harder.

Plaintiffs have dropped a federal lawsuit challenging how the state carried out a constitutional amendment that restores voting rights to felons who complete their sentences.

A federal judge this week rejected part of a challenge to a 2023 Florida elections law that prevents people with certain felony convictions from "collecting or handling" voter-registration applications.

Plaintiffs are trying to fend off an attempt to end a lawsuit that challenges the way a 2018 constitutional amendment aimed at restoring felons’ voting rights has been carried out.

The lawsuit was filed in April by the League of Women Voters of Florida and the NAACP against Secretary of State Cord Byrd.

There's no easy way for Floridians returning from prison to figure out what's needed to regain their voting rights. And advocates are critical of language set to be added to voter registration cards.

Voting rights groups say Florida’s voter registration form is flawed and it’s leading to people’s arrest. The Florida League of Women Voters and Florida chapter of the NAACP filed suit last week alleging the form violates the National Voter Registration Act.

Democrats say the legislation would curb voter registration efforts, especially for people of color and felons who have completed their sentences.