Ever been charged with a crime? What to know about your voting rights in FL.

Florida law protects the voting rights of some convicted felons, but there are crimes that can result in the loss of the privilege.

Not all convicted felons in Florida lose their right to vote.

According to Florida law, a person does not lose the right to vote if convicted of a misdemeanor.

Individuals incarcerated for a misdemeanor should verify their voter registration, register if needed, and request an absentee ballot through their facility’s office administrators. 

In Florida individuals convicted of a felony for murder or a sexual offense lose their right to vote unless it is restored by the State Clemency Board.

For other felonies, voting rights are restored once the person has completed their sentence, including jail or prison time, parole or probation, and fully paid any  fines, fees, or restitution.

A felony conviction from another state only affects voting eligibility in Florida if it would have the same effect in the state of conviction. Misdemeanor convictions and cases without a guilty adjudication do not impact voting rights.

Those awaiting trial, regardless of the charges, are eligible to vote while in custody, provided they have not lost their voting rights because of a prior conviction.

In 2020 and 2021, All Voting Is Local Florida collaborated with the ACLU of Florida to evaluate the challenges eligible voters face in casting ballots while incarcerated in Florida jails.

These organizations, which advocate for voter rights, wanted to know if county jails have policies and procedures to facilitate voting and registration of eligible voters in jail, and if they cooperated with volunteers who sought to provide those services.

Each year, at least 350,000 people are booked into local jails in Florida, according to data collected by the organizations.

The findings show that most counties have no written policies to facilitate elections in jail. And for those that do have policies, important steps or details are missing.

According to All Voting Is Local and ACLU, every jail should have written voting policies and procedures provided to those in their care. 

In addition, incarcerated voters should also be provided with unbiased voter guides, ideally from the supervisors of elections.

For more information you can visit All Voting is Local or ACLU, or contact the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition hotline by calling 407) 901-3749 or (877) 698-6830 (toll-free) or by emailing [email protected].

RELATED: Video: How Florida Makes Sure Its Voting Systems Are Secure

Are you ready to vote? Make sure to check your voter registration status, see who’s on your ballot, and make a voting plan here.