Desmond Meade, Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy and spokesperson for the Second Chances Campaign issued the following statement on Judge Walker’s orders for Florida’s Cabinet to create a new voting restoration system:
“Through a grassroots movement, Floridians put Amendment 4 on the ballot to fix the current, broken system and take these decisions out of the hands of politicians – which is why we believe a stay should be issued to let voters decide on Amendment 4 in November.
“Current law outlines a difficult process to restore an individual’s eligibility to vote, and Judge Walker recently determined that the restoration process is arbitrary and unconstitutional. The problem is that without Amendment 4, any fix still leaves this decision in the hands of politicians and a person’s eligibility to vote should not be left up to politicians and election cycles.
“Through the hard work of Florida voters and unwavering dedication of a truly grassroots movement, over 1 million petitions were collected statewide to place Amendment 4 on the ballot and recent public polls indicate over two-thirds of Florida voters overwhelmingly support the amendment. Let’s take matters into our own hands and VOTE YES on Amendment 4 to give Floridians who have made past mistakes the eligibility to vote only after they have completed their full debt to society – including parole, probation, and restitution. These are our family members, friends, and neighbors that have paid their full debt to society and earned the opportunity to participate in and give back to their communities.”
