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felons

Ex-senators pitch voting rights amendment

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Former state Senate Democratic leaders Arthenia Joyner and Chris Smith have filed a measure with the Constitution Revision Commission that would restore voting rights to felons who have served their time and completed any other post-prison requirements.

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Economists wrap up consideration of felons’ voting rights

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A panel of state economists and forecasters spent Wednesday editing their notes on the costs of a constitutional amendment on felons’ voting rights. Amy Baker, who heads the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, noted the amendment’s opponents never submitted written material or testimony. The proposed Florida Voting Restoration Amendment would automatically return voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. The Financial Impact Estimating Conference has been struggling to figure out a price tag for the amendment. Changes to the state constitution first require a…

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Panel finds no easy answers on costs of voter rights restoration

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A state panel struggled Monday to figure out a price tag for the proposed Florida Voter Restoration Amendment, which would automatically restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. The Financial Impact Estimating Conference heard testimony from a variety of state criminal justice agencies indicating it might be hard to nail down what the amendment would cost. The panel planned to reconvene next week for additional study. Amy Baker, coordinator for the Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research, the…

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Darryl Paulson: It’s time to let more felons vote in Florida

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Few things divide voters more than giving criminals the right to vote, even if they are former criminals. The issue will likely receive additional attention with the decision by Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to use his executive power to extend voting rights to all 206,000 felons in his state. Even murderers, rapists and other violent felons will have their voting rights restored. Critics raise several objections. First, they say the governor, acting alone, does not have the authority to…

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Today on Context Florida: Florida’s Democratic bench, Andrew Jackson, felon voting rights and back in the day

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Today on Context Florida: Ben Pollara breaks down the deep bench of Florida Democrats for 2018, starting with Gwen Graham’s recent semi-surprise, twofer announcement has the Florida chattering classes (temporarily) taking their attention away from 2016 and toward a post-Rick Scott state Capitol. Diane Roberts says that moving Andrew Jackson to the back of the $20 bill was a “no-brainer.” But Planet Fox (that lightless but loud satellite orbiting the vast Murdoch Spatial Anomaly) is puffing and squawking, Roberts adds. Greta…

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