ORLANDO, Fla. — A new proposal by the Florida Division of Elections aims to add more clarity to Florida’s 2018 constitutional amendment about voting rights for former felons.

Amendment 4, which was passed in 2018, allows some convicted felons the chance to vote after completing their sentences — which includes parole or probation. 

But knowing if they are eligible to vote can be tricky, so the FDE proposal would change the process they use to find out if they can legally register to vote.

What You Need To Know

  • Amendment 4, which was passed in 2018, allows some convicted felons the chance to vote after completing their sentences — which includes parole or probation

  • A new proposal from the Florida Division of Elections would change the process of former felons use to find out if they’re eligible to vote

  • Officials with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition say this move is the clarity they were looking and hoping for

The proposal creates a ability for former felons to request an opinion on their eligibility, in an attempt to give guidance to people who are unsure whether their right to register and vote has been restored. 

When this form is submitted, an advisory opinion is made and the answer then is clear: The person is eligible to register and to vote, or they are not.

Desmond Meade, with Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, said the FDE's announcement is a big step forward for former felons seeking to regain their right to vote.

“We wanted to figure out a simple question: Whose job is it to determine voter eligibility?” Meade said. 

He said the announcement is the clarity they were looking for and hoping for. 

“The other thing, which I think is huge, is that it provides protection for people against arrests,” Meade said. 

In 2022, 20 people were arrested and charged with election fraud after they registered and voted when their rights had not been fully restored.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said at the time that the individuals in question had been convicted of violent crimes like murder or sexual assault. 

But Meade said the Florida Rights Restoration Commission believes the people who voted illegally may have done so out of a misunderstanding, not with the intent to commit a crime. 

“We need people during elections to feel confident that they can go to the polls and vote," he said. "We need to have people to not have to worry about whether or not they’re going to get arrested. We need people to be engaged in our democracy."

Meade said voting is something that no one should take for granted. 

“This is the one where your voice is just as valuable as the richest person in the world or the most powerful person in this country, because it’s one man or one woman, one vote,” Meade said.