More than one million convicted felons in the swing state of Florida could receive the right to vote if a ballot measure amending Florida’s constitution passes this November.
A petition in support of the measure recently surpassed the 766,200 signatures needed to get it on the ballot. If passed, the measure would restore “the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation.” It would not apply to those convicted of murder or sexual offenses.
If passed, the ballot measure could have a significant impact on election outcomes in the state. (RELATED: Virginia Gov. Pardons 60,000 Felons, Enough To Swing Election)
President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in Florida by 112,911 votes in the 2016 election. That’s less than one tenth of the number of felons who would rejoin voting rolls if the measure passes. Just under 1.5 million Floridians were barred from voting in the 2016 election due to felony convictions, according to The Sentencing Project.
Left-wing blog Think Progress, which first reported that the petition had garnered enough signatures, noted that “research shows that people with criminal convictions tend to vote for Democratic candidates.”