Limits on Florida’s Amendment 4 are unconstitutional, federal panel rules

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday it was unconstitutional to force Florida felons to first pay off their financial obligations before registering to vote, siding against state Republican lawmakers who imposed the restriction last year. “It’s a very sound and careful opinion that comes to the correct conclusion that it is extremely problematic to deny people the right to vote as a criminal punishment based only on the fact they’re poor,” said Paul Smith, vice president at the Campaign Legal Center, which is representing several of the plaintiffs. 

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