Republicans achieve massive voter suppression in Florida, ex-felons cannot vote right now
Florida can bar ex-felons from voting if they owe court payments, appeals court rules
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/11/politics/florida-ex-felons-voting/index.html
The 6-4 ruling by the full 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's ruling blocking the law.
The law, Chief Judge William Pryor wrote in the majority opinion, doesn't constitute a poll tax. Instead, "it promotes full rehabilitation of returning citizens and ensures full satisfaction of the punishment imposed for the crimes by which felons forfeited the right to vote."
"That criminal sentences often include financial obligations does not make this requirement a 'capricious or irrelevant factor,'" Pryor wrote. "Monetary provisions of a sentence are no less a part of the penalty that society imposes for a crime than terms of imprisonment. Indeed, some felons face substantial monetary penalties but little or no prison time."
eta: law is here http://laws.flrules.org/2019/162 , looking for better source
= new reply since forum marked as read
in some ways this may even be worse than a poll tax. it gives members of the controlling party in government an incentive to criminalize and fine behavior associated with people more likely to vote for the opposition.
now all sorts of things will be fined. they might even decline to try to actually collect it. just use the outstanding fine as an excuse to deny certain people the right to vote.
so instead of simply having to effectively pay to vote, now you get harassed and fined first.
oh, but i'm sure government will only use this on baaad people who deserve prison. the government would criminalize certain things or assign penalties to crimes based on racial considerations....
