Supreme Court temporarily blocks felons from voting in Florida

https://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-felons-173732540.html


Richard Wolf, USA TODAY
,USA TODAY•July 16, 2020


The Supreme Court refused Thursday to let Florida felons who completed their sentences vote in a primary without first paying fees, fines and restitution, as the state requires.

Voting rights groups challenged the requirement as unconstitutional, given that state voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 giving hundreds of thousands of felons the right to vote. The requirement will remain in effect while the case is heard next month by a federal appeals court.

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Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 allowing felons to vote after their sentences are complete. The initiative won 64% approval.

The state Legislature passed, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed, a law requiring that felons first pay all fees, fines and restitution owed as part of the process.

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