Last fall, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment restoring the voting rights of to up to 1.4 million former felons in the state who have completed all terms of their sentence. The authors of the amendment’s language said it was designed to be self-executing, which means the legislation is immediately effective without the need of intervening court action.
Currently, state lawmakers are considering bills that would demand fines and fees in the effort to restore voting rights. Proponents says these bills are necessary to clarify the amendments, but opponents say it almost looks like the bills are proposing a poll tax.
Neil Volz, the political director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, and Howard Simon, the former executive director of the state’s American Civil Liberties Union, join us in the studio to weigh in on the controversy. Kirk Bailey, the political director of the ACLU of Florida, phones in to join the discussion.
