Agenda Item Name:
Title
Restoration of Voting Rights for Ex-Felons
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Presenter:
Gina Peebles, 352-538-8265
Description:
Update on Restoration of Voting Rights for Ex-Felons
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Hear update and provide additional direction to staff, if desired.
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Prior Board Motions:
July. 9, 2019 - refer this matter to the Supervisor of Elections to staff and bring back an analysis on how this effects Alachua County residents including their fees and what other counties or groups are doing state wide to address this issue to facilitate the restoration of voting rights for ex-felons, then have a policy meeting at a later date (5:0).
Dec. 10, 2019 - there may only be a few fees that the County could waive. Staff to continue working on the matter to bring back to the Board as a presentation at a public meeting to discuss what has been learned and where the County may be able to waive fees (5:0).
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
N/A
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Background:
Per the attached news article of Jan. 17, 2020, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that convicted felons must pay off fines before voting. However, the 11th Circuit Court's trial will determine the final outcome.
The County Attorney's Office has provided an update of the state and federal legislation in a memo, attached.
The Clerk's Office indicated this topic is being discussed by the Clerks on a state-wide basis to try and address concerns across the board on how to handle this issue equitably.
At this point, they have determined that, for the purpose of restoring voting rights only, the amounts shown on the judgment or imposed at judgment must be paid for purposes of completing the financial obligation portion of a sentence. That eliminates collection fees and interest and some other post judgment fees such as driver license reinstatement fees.
As for compromising the base amounts on the judgment, they are not aware of any fines or fees that the County could wa...
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