The biggest voting rights win in recent US history - and the Republicans trying to thwart it

[Judi Lynn]

Last modified on Thu 9 Jan 2020 12.00 EST

One year ago, Florida enacted the biggest expansion of the right to vote in America in a generation.

For 150 years, Florida had upheld a law that banned anyone convicted of a felony from voting, even after they had served the full sentence. The policy, rooted in the Jim Crow south, stood out as a stain on American democracy.

But with majority support, Florida enacted Amendment 4, which allows anyone convicted of a felony to vote once they complete their sentence (those convicted of murder and sexual offenses still can’t vote) on 8 January 2019. This policy would re-enfranchise 1.4 million people – one of the biggest expansions of voting rights since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the most significant in this generation.

The Guardian spoke to five Florida residents directly affected by or involved with Amendment 4. Some had just registered to vote for the first time in their lives, others struggled with the continued trials of being incarcerated. Their stories tell of last year’s victory and the difficulties of undoing decades of systemic inequality.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/09/florida-voting-rights-felons-amendement-4

[lark]

1. Being redundant - but I HATE repugs!

FL repugs are some of the worst, ugh. My son can finally vote again and it's make him so very happy to be able to add another blue vote to whatever race is being run. Stupid state has had to be sued twice on this already and they lost both times. Fuckers should just stop.