Amendment 4, passed in 2018, marked the largest expansion of voting rights in the U.S. in half a century, ending 150 years of Jim Crow-era laws in Florida.
Leading the charge in Florida this election year is Desmond Meade and the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC). “Our organization is a statewide grassroots group made up of members and employees who are, as I call them, justice-impacted folks or returning citizens. We also have members with loved ones who’ve been affected by the criminal justice system,” Meade said.
In 15 states, formerly incarcerated people lose their right to vote during incarceration and while on probation. Their voting rights are automatically restored after this period, but regaining those rights often involves hefty fees and extensive paperwork, typically with little to no legal help. Marquis McKenzie, a representative for FRRC and a formerly incarcerated person, explains that restoring his voting rights was solely his responsibility. “Yeah, I mean, I think before people get to know who you are and what you’re trying to do to recover from your past, some people just automatically judge you based on your background without even knowing you or having a conversation with you,” McKenzie said.
The right to vote is guaranteed to every U.S. citizen, and both Meade and McKenzie are working to ensure that those who have served their time and paid their debts can regain this fundamental right. “There have been a lot of people who’ve benefited. One of the most familiar stories I can tell is mine, because I’m also a returning citizen who lost the right to vote a long time ago. As a matter of fact, when Amendment 4 passed, I got my voting rights back. I voted in the 2020 presidential election. That was actually the first presidential election I ever voted in,” Meade said.
