Federal Appeals Court Refuses to Revisit Felons Voting Decision

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is under pressure to come up with a system to determine whether Floridians who register to vote are felons who have outstanding financial obligations and provide the information to local supervisors of elections, who have the authority to remove people from the voting rolls.

March 31, 2020 at 03:30 PM

5 minute read

Dara Kam

Striking another blow against Gov. Ron DeSantis, a federal appeals court has refused to reconsider a ruling that felons who have served their time but are unable to pay "legal financial obligations" must be allowed to vote.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday turned down the Republican governor's request for what is known as an "en banc," or full court, review of a decision by a three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based court. The case involves a challenge to a 2019 Florida law that made felons' voting eligibility contingent upon payment of court-ordered fees, fines and restitution.

The panel on Feb. 19 upheld a ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle that the state cannot bar felons from voting if they are "genuinely unable" to pay the obligations.