A bill that would require the state of Florida to develop and maintain a centralized database to provide individuals with felony convictions the information to determine whether they are eligible to have their voting rights restored moved through its first committee stop on Monday.
The proposal (SB 132), sponsored by Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, comes more than seven years after Floridians approved a constitutional amendment to restore the voting rights of felons who had completed their sentences. However, the Legislature passed a requirement that they needed to pay off all their financial obligations imposed by a court to fully restore their voting rights.
That legislative measure limited the pool of Floridians who were initially thought to be eligible to vote when the measure was approved by more than 65% of the voters in November 2018. It also created doubt and in some cases resulted in people being arrested after believing that in fact they were eligible to vote.
Polsky’s legislation would require the Florida Commission on Offender Review to create a website no later than July 1, 2029, to provide individuals who have been disqualified from voting based on a felony conviction (other than murder or a felony sexual offense) “clear instructions” about getting their voting rights restored and to register to vote.
Starting in late 2024, the Division of Elections created a way for people with felony convictions who were unsure about their voting eligibility to request an advisory opinion from the Florida Division of Elections. That process evolved as part of a legal settlement after the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition dropped its 2023 lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Secretary of State Cord Byrd, and other Florida election officials.
Polsky’s bill passed unanimously in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.
A companion bill (HB 273) has been filed in the House by Rep. Felicia Robinson, D-Miami Gardens.
Meanwhile, a related measure (SB 748) sponsored by Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-Ocoee, was also approved by the Senate committee on Monday. Her bill would require that sentencing scoresheets include a notice informing defendants about the effect of their sentences on their voting rights. It would be required that defendants must receive a copy of the scoresheet containing this notice before sentencing. (A companion bill — HB 467 — has been filed in the House by Miami Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt).
“Providing this notice helps Floridians understand this status under the Constitution, and it helps avoid confusion and unintentional violations that can occur when individuals misunderstand their eligibility,” said Davis. “It’s about clarity, transparency, and making our system work as intended.”
Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, applauded both bills.
“This is exactly the direction that we should be heading in — transparency, information — making sure folks understand what voting rights or what other rights are implicated based on some of these convictions that they have and can have them all restored, hopefully in theory, once they have served their time and been in compliance with Florida law,” he said.
Versions of these bills have been advocated for in the past by Democrats without ever getting a hearing, so, in that respect, the committee’s approval on Monday was a small victory in the battle for such legislation. The question is how far supporters can advance during this legislative session. Both bills have two more stops in the Senate. Their House companions have yet to be heard in any committee.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
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