Yesterday the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), along with the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, submitted a letter urging the Florida House of Representatives’ State Affairs Committee to oppose House Bill 7089. This morning, the Committee will be holding a hearing on the bill, which is written to significantly undermine Amendment 4’s historic mandate to expand voting rights in Florida.
During the November 2018 midterm election, Florida voters overwhelmingly voted yes on Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to 1.4 million individuals with prior felony convictions. Our letter asserts that House Bill 7089 “would be inconsistent with Amendment 4’s text and purpose and reproduce a two-tiered level of citizenship, disproportionately impacting low-income and communities of color.” If implemented, the bill would contradict the monumental decision Florida’s voters made and impede their right to have a say in building a stronger and more inclusive democracy.
Read our full letter to the House here.
