FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2019, file photo, Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference on in Tallahassee, Fla. A federal judge has ruled that the Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle has acknowledged he is unlikely to have the last word, expecting the administration of Republican Gov.
The 125-page ruling was issued by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee. It involves a state law to implement a 2016 ballot measure approved by voters to automatically restore the right to vote for many felons who have completed their sentence. The Republican-led Legislature stipulated that fines and legal fees must be paid as part of the sentence, in addition to serving any prison time.
The judge called the Florida rules a “pay to vote” system that are unconstitutional when applied to felons “who are otherwise eligible to vote but are genuinely unable to pay the required amount.” Hinkle said the requirement to pay fines and restitution as ordered in a sentence is constitutional for those “who are able to pay” — if the amount can be determined.
Disenfranchised ? They’re felons TerryMcAuliffe a fan of felons voting? Soros ? VoterID2020 voterfraudisreal fla va
Disenfranchised my ass, jumping through hoops to get civil rights restored is just part of making amends for their wrongdoing. They did it to themselves.
Pay to vote: Republicans would love that!
Anything to keep Americans from voting - the GOP mantra
Good for the judge.
Uh oh, tubby, squat DeSantus is gonna blows gasket.
TamaraLush TrumpvsAmerica
DuhSantis
CoffeeBookCat If your a felon you should lose your right to vote forever! You don't respect others why should we respect your vote?
Liberals being liberals. Pulling out all the stops to beat realDonaldTrump. Imagine having 0 ideas to better the country do instead you manufacture voters. I’m guessing more dead people will vote in this election than any other before it.
Wait why are felons voting? And where are AP stories about how wonderful a job they’ve done with Carona, vs Cuomo whose policies killed thousands? NBA golf and bad at all coming back in Florida. Connect the dots people...
Disenfranchised felons, another class of victims?
Look at why the costs are so high on the first place.
AudreyGarden Finally
Florida so extra🤦🏽♀️
Jean Valjean himself said seriously?
So much for Florida's poll tax....
So just found out prison gerrymandering is a thing. Can you imagine living in a place full of ex-convicts who can’t even vote? If they aren’t in prison their rights still exist.
Looking at American politics from the other side of the Atlantic... Mind boggling to see how one side of the political spectrum is often about ensuring that as few as possible can participate in the democratic process instead of as many as possible...
I believe that everybody should have the right to vote. It's not like the politicians who govern our country are free of sin. They shouldn't get to pick or choose who gets to vote them in or out of power. We're supposed to be a nation under God for crying out loud!
SethAbramson For all to see.....this is voter suppression
Turn Florida blue!
Another judge will reverse. That's how it is played
Is it just me or is it a mission of a certain party to make voter suppression their legacy? What are you so darn afraid of? 😒
Debtors in bad standing could never vote.
No vote from Florida will be counted.
Please define what constitutes a citizen?
Disturbing Mind Voter ID rquied COVID-19 test required No test? No voting rights; you're not mentally responsible for making decisions for the entire nation You are here by dismissed & disqualified under reckless endangerment (test is free) POTUS UN WHO DHSgov TheJusticeDept
cmarinucci sbcountyda sbcountysheriff ICYMI Federal Rulings Affirming The First & 12th AMENDMENTS
forever420grrl Hooray!! Glad these Americans have the right to vote. Wouldn’t be surprised if FloridaGOP was part of this....but their leader realDonaldTrump said it was all Democrats’ fault for rigging the election. 🙃
FL is in play!
SethAbramson 👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
De-Klan-tis is a clown. That is all.
I just had a flashback of a parent ordering not to leave the table until I finished dinner so I laid down my head & slept there. I won’t be bullied or bully someone else for S&Gs
chrisbergpov If it's law that they can't vote, it's not disenfranchisement
whidbeyz Felons have no rights.
SethAbramson They will appeal, use that appeal process to deny the vote until after the election. Then it will be on to some other form of voter suppression and disenfranchisement.
Hope and sanity is alive. Thank you
You all understand that the judge said they do not have to pay fees before gaining the right to vote. After seeing the number of people wrongly accused, this makes sense. read !!!!
What an A-hole Governor
Democrats desperate for votes! Rats
More votes for Biden lol
I assume this was to prevent felons from regaining their voting rights. Which is already de facto racism as a tool to erase the minority vote. Tell me again how free and equal we are.
That's right, now that we liberal women liberated these felons, they owe us a D vote
Thanks judge, they are desperate to suppress the vote, bunch of idiots.
DNC has become a party of criminals.
SethAbramson De Santis will appeal and ask for an immediate stay. Its very sad but its the only way they think they can win- stop people from voting.
This may not work in our favor: many ex-felons support Trump. We need to do something to reverse this, or even get them put back in jail, if possible. Maybe we can get congress to pass another crime bill like the one they passed in the 90s...
AKA VoterSuppression
Ok. Give them back their guns, too. We wouldn't want them disenfranchised would we?
BrettRichards67 Can’t wait for the GOP to come up with some new petty scheme to keep legitimate voters from voting
'Disenfranchised felons'? Like they had no choice in their current status?🤔😑
SethAbramson GO VOTE! GO VOTE! GO VOTE!
Good. Because it was a legit poll tax.
FL has some messed up laws: ex-inmates have to petition and then argue their case to a panel, which the governor ultimately decides whether your voting rights are restored.
SethAbramson YES.
It was a blatant poll tax. Poll taxes are illegal in this country. Good on that judge.
Dr_Dharma_Bum FU Santis!!
There's only 22 million people in Florida...
Voting should not be restored for a minimum of 10 years after release without any more offenses.
HAHIX336 Good. This needs to end now. They have a right to vote. Stop.
SethAbramson Florida just went Democrat
👏👏👏
marthajadams Republicans hate it when people vote.
Maybe they should finish their sentences first before they get it back? If not why stop them from voting in the first place.
avgjoele Seems right up your alley.
'disenfranchised'?
SethAbramson The judge called the Florida rules a “pay to vote” system that are unconstitutional when applied to felons “who are otherwise eligible to vote but are genuinely unable to pay the required amount.” Thank God for Judge Hinkle. So glad to see him slap down that criminal DeSantis.
So prosecutors & judges who considered fines in lieu of longer prison sentences, let alone victims & their families, have been double-crossed by activist judges. Now prosecutors should be seeking longer prison sentences, as fines apparently mean NOTHING!
These scumbag republicans are finally getting the smack down they deserve. Now we need to get rid of every one of those traitors next election.
You paid your time, you’re done
That’s fair.
SethAbramson Florida votes to allow felons to vote in 2016. The GOP legislature doesn’t like the vote & decides to add a stimulation after the vote for felons to pay fines & court cost. Florida doesn’t know the cost. Florida thinks this is legal? Why not reinstitute a poll tax? Embarrassing!
Lol many of those felons are presumed Democrat. GJ AP
I was gonna carjack someone last week but then I realized I wouldn’t be able to vote for Biden if I did. 🤓 We wouldn’t have Drumpf if all criminals were as smart as me.
I thought felons could never vote again because that was their punishment for their crime? I’m confused
Anything that stops/hinders a citizen from voting is bad in the long-term. Think of all the people who got felonies for non-violent crimes like marijuana posession. Forcing them to pay to vote is unethical
Judges contradicting the will of the people should be removed from their benches.
For reference, that's more people than the entire state of Vermont or Wyoming or Alaska.
SethAbramson It's called the US Constitution. I really takes a judge to call this one?
So people votes but government try to suppress their will. Yet China is the bad guy!
Good!!!
Nonsensical law, and dehumanizing, to perpetually confine a subset to second class Citizens .
SethAbramson Hahahahahahahahaha. Screw you Floriduh repubs. A win for democracy.
Triggered liberals, they can't win without fake votes from illegals and dead people
Who should all go out and vote for Democrats to make sure they don’t lose their right to vote again. Cause....if Republicans keep wining, kiss that vote goodbye.
For many unemployed Floridians the cure has been worse than the problem itself... FLunemployment What did we do wrong? Not a dime since 4/6/2020! GovRonDeSantis stop blaming applicants & take responsibility regarding the FLDEO' s failure! NewsGuyGreg AnnaForFlorida
SethAbramson This has those Republicans worried as they should be.
SethAbramson Big
SethAbramson 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
YouAintBlack
YES! This is what we voted for!
chrisbergpov Really because it was a ballot referendum. Not sure how one judge can change a law voted on by all of Florida. If you have the count Democrats have the list to create registrations and ballots. This is BS.
The GOP isn't going to like this. They only want Republicans to vote.
WHOOPSEY
If these people have served their time then do they have to pay anything. That's voter suppression.
They are not disenfranchised. They did this to themselves. They committed the crime knowing full well they would lose their right to vote. No need to add adjectives that don't pertain to the situation...unless this is agenda driven. Which we all know it is.
Not a good thing.
Good
😂
God is good why are Republicans afraid of voters ?
Florida has a lot of felons!
Suppose DeSantis, Scott, any other GOP place holders can start scheduling their U-Hauls before the rush in November. 😁😁
Good, voting is a right not a privilege
For context 🤔 Trump 4,617,886 Hillary 4,504,975 ___________________ 112,911
chrisbergpov Another Republican voter suppression attempt BUSTED chrisbergpov
Do your time, get your right to vote back. It shouldn't be that hard.
Corrupt. You have to pay to vote? UnConstituional. Of course it was Ron DeSantis.
🙌🙌🙌🙌 good!
UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
bet they file challenges. its what they do, waste money to not follow laws they don't like.
What? Since when could felons regain the right to vote? Fines or not.
lauferlaw BlueTsunami2020
(Almost) every American citizen is entitled to their constitutional right to vote!
Yeah , and they ain’t voting republican. Good luck.
Smells like justice to me. A cheap attempt by republicans to surprise voters.
Who got arrested?
Good!
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