More than 1.5 million Florida residents are barred from voting in state elections for the rest of their lives, because of a tough law that permanently revokes voting rights for anyone convicted of a felony. Florida’s ballot measure is part of a broader move over the last few decades to restore voting rights to felons, but is the first to put it to voters to decide. Restoring voting rights has come with pitfalls in the past, like when a cop killer released from prison got voting rights restored, thanks to a recent New York parole board decision and Gov. Currently, Florida does have a process in which convicted felons can have voting rights restored, but critics of the current system argue it is too lengthy and burdensome for many ex-cons to navigate. Much like voting rights, the question of whether or not a convicted felon can hold office once released from prison varies widely from state to state.

Source: Fox News September 10, 2018 16:07 UTC