FLORIDA — The Sunshine State of Florida has approved Amendment 4 — an amendment that will automatically restore voting rights to more than a million people previously convicted of felonies.
The amendment passed Tuesday after exceeding the 60% threshold required to become a law. Felons who finish their full sentences, including fines, probation and parole, will now be allowed to vote in the state.
“Over 60% of Florida voters took a stand for fairness and voting rights, and to remove an ugly stain that has been in our state’s constitution since the Civil War era,” ACLU Executive Director Howard Simon said in a statement.
When it goes into effect, an estimated 1.5 million people in Florida who have completed felony sentences will be able to vote.
The new law does not apply to anyone convicted of murder or sex offenses.
