Florida is one of just a handful of states with laws that permanently disenfranchise people with past felony convictions.  The other states include Virginia, Iowa, and Kentucky.  In Florida, almost 1.7 million people – more than ten percent of the adult population – are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction.  Florida’s felon disenfranchisement laws and policies currently disenfranchise one in five African Americans.

As one of the founding organizations of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Advancement Project is proud to support the Coalition’s “Say Yes To Second Chances” campaign, a ballot initiative effort led by Desmond Meade.  If passed, the ballot measure would amend the Florida Constitution to automatically restore voting rights to individuals with felony convictions.  The Campaign hopes to place the measure on the 2018 ballot.