Amendment 4 backers announce $2 million will go towards paying fines and fees of past felony convictions
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition gathered on Monday to announce that they are have raised $2 million to pay off funds for people with past convictions.
They made the announcement in front of the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office, as participants arrived to vote early.
The $2 million will reportedly help returning citizens who are now eligible to vote in upcoming elections pay fines and fees related to past felony convictions.
“It is incredible to not only have the opportunity to believe and invest in the lives of our Returning Citizen family, but to be able to invest in our communities,” said Jessica Younts, the Director of FRRC’s Fines and Fees Department. “This has been such an amazing effort by everyone who played a part in making this happen, from our Returning Citizen family, clerk staff, volunteer attorneys, our FRRC team, to all the donors. We all did this. We all came together and now our communities will be forever changed for the better."
“We are incredibly excited to be voting in our local primaries,” said FRRC Deputy Director Neil Volz. “Many of us have waited decades to vote, or never voted at all. It is going to be a special moment.”
In 2018, Florida residents voted to approve Amendment 4, automatically restoring the voting rights of 1.4 million people with past felony convictions. However, the voting eligibility of returning citizens is still dependent on the payment of all fines, fees, and restitution related to prior convictions.
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