ORLANDO, Fla. — Tuesday is a big day for those who recently had their voting rights restored. Florida’s Amendment 4 passed last year, which gives convicted felons the opportunity to vote.

At 7 a.m. Tuesday morning the voting polls were opened.

For one grandmother, 2012 seems like an eternity ago, and that's because that was the last election she was allowed to vote in.

Former Orange County commissioner Mildred Fernandez was arrested in 2010.

“I took a plea deal," Fernandez explained.  "It was accepting illegal campaign contributions.”

Fernandez was also charged with grand theft and bribery, which were all felony charges that sent her to a state prison.

Behind bars, Fernandez missed not just her family, but she also missed her civic duty. But according to Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles, she is now one of many eligible voters in the City Beautiful.

“City of Orlando has 176,000 registered voters in the city that are eligible to vote today,” Cowles said.

For Fernandez, the right to vote came with a heavy price after her time served — a new law in Florida required felons to pay fees and fines related to their crimes before regaining the right to vote.

“I started saving money to pay those court fees, which at that time were $15,000 in addition of $5,000 on probation,” Fernandez explained.

Last month, a judge granted a preliminary injunction on the law requiring felons to pay back fees before having their voting rights restored, which has led to more confusion for some voters.

But after Fernandez voted for the first time in several years, she left with her "I voted" sticker proudly displayed on her jacket.

Not all former felons can have their voting rights restored — the amendment does not apply to Floridians convicted of murder or sexual offenses.