VIDEO: Democrats Want Convicted Felons to Turn Florida Blue!

Jeremy Ring, the Democrat candidate for Chief Financial Officer of the state of Florida, wants to restore voting rights to 1.6 million convicted felons, in order to turn the state Blue, permanently!

In the column “Do Floridians really want to grant full amnesty to 1.5 million felons by giving them a right to vote? Dr. Rich Swier wrote:

Under the Florida Constitution, a convicted felon cannot vote, serve on a jury, or hold public office until their civil rights have been restored. When a person is convicted of a felony in Florida, he/she loses the right to vote, sit on a jury, hold public office, and possess a firearm. Felonies in Florida are punishable by death or imprisonment in state prison and classified as capital or life felonies; or felonies of the first, second, or third degree.

Under current Florida law a convicted felon can have their full civil rights (including voting rights) restored.

This is done by the Florida Commission on Offender Review, which was established in 1941.  The Commission on Offender Review may grant a felon a full pardon, pardon with firearm authority, pardon for misdemeanor, commutation of sentence, remission of fines and forfeitures, specific authority to own, possess and use fire arms, restoration of civil rights and restoration of alien status under Florida law. The Commission’s website under the category Restoration of Civil Rights in Florida reads:

The Restoration of Civil Rights restores to an applicant all of the rights of citizenship in the State of Florida enjoyed before the felony conviction, except the specific authority to own, possess, or use firearms. Such restoration shall not relieve an applicant from the registration and notification requirements or any other obligations and restrictions imposed by law upon sexual predators or sexual offenders. [Emphasis added]

If their is already a pathway to restore the full civil rights of a convicted felon in Florida why is there a need for full amnesty?

Logic would tell Floridians that a convicted felon must prove his/her worthiness after serving their sentences before his/her civil rights (e.g. voting rights) are restored. Is the person actually worthy on a case by case basis to be granted any level of restoration without a thorough review by the Florida Commission on Offender Review?

EDITORS NOTE: The featured photo is by Ye Jinghan on Unsplash.

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