August, 08 2022, 12:54pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
LDF: media@naacpldf.org
ACLUFL: media@aclufl.org
Brennan Center: Kendall Karson, karsonk@brennan.law.nyu.edu
ACLU National: Inga Sarda-Sorensen, isarda-sorensen@aclu.org
Voting and Civil Rights Organizations Release New Voting Resource for People with Past Convictions
WASHINGTON
Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLU Florida), the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, and the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project (ACLU) released a new resource for lawyers and advocacy groups to help Floridians with past felony convictions determine their eligibility to register and vote.
"Voting with a Criminal Record in Florida: What You Need to Know," written by voting and civil rights attorneys and policy experts, is meant for lawyers and advocacy experts looking to navigate Florida's complex legal landscape for voting created by the dual passage of the Voting Restoration Amendment (Amendment 4), in 2018, and the state's subsequent adoption, in 2019, of Senate Bill 7066 (SB 7066). The State of Florida has been repeatedly asked to provide the kind of guidance in "Voting with a Criminal Record in Florida" but has thus far failed, leading to dire consequences, including the prosecution of individuals for trying to exercise their right to vote following the passage of Amendment 4.
"The State of Florida continues to make it exceedingly difficult to obtain basic information a person needs to be able to determine their ability to register and vote," the resource notes. "Different elections officials and clerks' offices have different policies based on varying interpretations and understandings (sometimes clear misunderstandings) of the applicable laws and policies."
The resource is not intended for the general public and should not be relied upon as legal advice. It should be used in consultation with a lawyer or another expert who is able to interpret Florida's voting rules, and it is intended to serve as a starting point for assisting a returning citizen with determining whether they are eligible to register and vote.
Most recently, the state attorney for Florida's Eighth Judicial Circuit is prosecuting at least 10 people with past convictions for registering and voting in the 2020 elections while allegedly owing court fines and fees. But often people don't know they owe money, and even if they do, they may not be aware that paying off "legal financial obligations" - certain fines, fees, court costs, and restitution - is a precondition to voting. The state also doesn't keep centralized records or a database for tracking such debt or payments, often making it nearly impossible for people with past convictions, county officials, and the state itself to figure out who's eligible to vote.
The State of Florida has made it nearly impossible for many of its citizens to determine if they are eligible to vote, and--rather than assist those individuals--has resorted instead to prosecution.
The resource outlines a detailed, six-step process for determining someone's eligibility to register and vote under Amendment 4 and SB 7066
- Obtain the docket sheet and judicial/sentencing documents for each criminal conviction.
- Determine the basic facts about each conviction.
- Determine the terms of sentence for each conviction.
- Determine whether the State of Florida considers the sentence "completed" for purposes of voting.
- Next steps if a person's voter registration is rejected or they get a notice that they're ineligible after registration.
- Consult dedicated organizations for further assistance, including the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and the League of Women Voters of Florida.
In addition to the full resource, the partner organizations have produced a one-page reference guide summarizing Florida's voter eligibility rules for citizens with past convictions (either in Florida or elsewhere).
The mission of the ACLU of Florida is to protect, defend, strengthen, and promote the constitutional rights and liberties of all people in Florida. We envision a fair and just Florida, where all people are free, equal under the law, and live with dignity.
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Spain Widens Push for EU Countries to Recognize Palestinian State
A majority of U.N. member states recognize Palestinian statehood, but the U.S. and most E.U. countries lag behind.
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In his latest stop on a tour of several European countries aimed at gathering support for recognizing a Palestinian state, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez joined his Slovenian counterpart on Tuesday in calling to make the diplomatic move to help secure an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestine is already recognized as a state by the vast majority of United Nations members—139 out of 193 countries—and by a handful of European nations, but the European Union as a whole, the United States, and the United Kingdom are among those that have long refused to recognize statehood.
At a joint press conference with Sánchez, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said the question is "when, not if, but when is the best moment to recognize Palestine."
Al Jazeera reported Wednesday that Sánchez aims to formally recognize Palestinian statehood by July, even if he does not secure enough support from other E.U. countries.
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Sánchez has also met with leaders in Ireland, Malta, and Norway in recent weeks.
Jonas Gahr Støre, prime minister of Norway—which is not an E.U. member—said last week that his government "stands ready" to join "like-minded countries" in recognizing Palestinian statehood.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said after meeting with Sánchez last Friday that formal recognition "is coming much closer and we would like to move together in doing so."
"The people of Palestine have long sought the dignity of their own country and sovereignty—a home that like Ireland and Spain can take its place amongst the nations of the Earth," Harris added.
Ireland's Green Party said Monday that the full recognition of Palestine by European countries would help to secure a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel has killed at least 33,899 people since October and has so far starved more than two dozen children to death by blocking the vast majority of humanitarian aid for months.
Al Jazeerareported Wednesday that Belgium—which has called for economic sanctions on Israel over its bombardment of Gaza—is likely to join Spain's push after June, when the country no longer holds the E.U. presidency.
The push from Spain comes as the U.N. Security Council is scheduled to vote on whether to admit Palestine as a full member of the U.N., which the Spanish prime minister said would be supported by the governments he's met with.
Palestinian representatives announced earlier this month that they would revive their application for membership, which the U.S. has vetoed in previous votes.
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The League of Arab States on Tuesday expressed its "unwavering support" of the Palestinians' new application.
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U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters this month that full U.N. membership for Palestine "should be done through direct negotiations through the parties," while Israeli U.N. ambassador Gilad Erdan said the fact that the application is being considered is "a victory for genocidal terror."
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Israeli soldiers have either passively watched or participated in the uprooting of at least seven communities in the West Bank since October of last year, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday in a new report documenting surging settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territory.
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The new report comes days after Israeli settlers—escorted by IDF soldiers—went on their latest destructive and deadly rampage in the West Bank, killing at least two Palestinians, injuring dozens, and setting homes and vehicles ablaze. At least 20 households were displaced after Israeli settlers burned down their homes.
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Since October 7, according to the United Nations, Israeli settlers have launched more than 720 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, displacing at least 206 households comprised of 1,244 people—including 603 children. Israeli soldiers in uniform have been present at many of the attacks.
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HRW's new report examines five West Bank communities that have come under attack by Israeli settlers, including one in which uniformed Israeli men armed with assault rifles entered tents and destroyed or stole people's belongings, abused residents, and threatened to kill them if they didn't leave the area.
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None of the families forcibly evicted from the five communities examined in the HRW report have been allowed to return home.
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Following the latest wave of settler violence in the West Bank this past weekend, a coalition of human rights organizations said in a joint statement Wednesday that "the international community must swiftly and decisively pressure the government of Israel to halt these attacks and urgently de-escalate the situation."
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The measure in question would reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for two years and massively expand the federal government's warrantless surveillance power by requiring a wide range of businesses and individuals to cooperate with spying efforts.
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Wyden's remarks came after the Senate narrowly approved a motion Tuesday to proceed to the FISA reauthorization bill ahead of Section 702's expiration at the end of the week. The Oregon senator, an outspoken privacy advocate, was among the seven members of the Democratic caucus who voted against the procedural motion.
Despite its grave implications for civil liberties, the bill has drawn relatively little vocal opposition in the Senate. A final vote could come as soon as Thursday.
Titled Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), the legislation passed the Republican-controlled House last week after lawmakers voted down an amendment that would have added a search warrant requirement to Section 702.
The authority allows U.S. agencies to spy on non-citizens located outside of the country, but it has been abused extensively by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency to collect the communications of American lawmakers, activists, journalists, and others without a warrant.
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