Florida Republicans may be forced to act on voting rights

Author: Associated Press
Published:
Early voting SWFL

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has called an extraordinary late-night meeting of top state officials to respond to a federal court ruling on voting rights.

A federal judge gave Florida until Thursday to create a new process for restoring voting rights to former prisoners. The state asked an appeals court to put U.S. District Judge Mark Walker’s ruling on hold, but the higher court hasn’t acted on that request, so Scott scheduled a clemency board meeting for 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The board consists of Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and two other elected Republicans.

The federal judge ruled that Florida’s current system of restoring voting rights to former prisoners is unconstitutional and arbitrary. He questioned whether partisan politics and racial factors have swayed the board’s decisions.

Previous story: Florida challenges order to make voting rights changes
Previous story: Federal judge orders Florida to make voting rights changes

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.