Barriers to Registering Returning Citizens in Florida

• In Event: Restoration and Suppression: The Contemporary Frontiers of Voting Rights

Abstract

In 2018, Florida voters approved Amendment 4. The constitutional amendment was to be self-executing, automatically restoring the voting rights of ex-felons who completed the terms of their sentences (excluding murder and sex offenses). On January 8, 2019, eligible former felons lined up to register to vote at county Supervisors of Elections. But were they able to do so? Drawing on self-reported statements made by ex-felons to reporters on the first day returning citizens were able to register to vote, we examine which individuals were successful in registering, which were not, and which had delays in their registration. Preliminary evidence suggests that Amendment 4 was not self-implementing and there is considerable variation across the state.

Author

• Daniel A. Smith, University of Florida