Voting Rights Group Sues DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, various members of his administration, and several Florida election officials are being sued by a voting rights organization for creating a “climate of intimidation” around felons who could vote.

As The Hill reports, a lawsuit was filed in federal court on Wednesday, asserting that the DeSantis administration deliberately neglected to fulfill the requirements of Amendment 4 to the Florida state constitution in 2018, which reinstates the voting rights of some felons in the state.

“Florida,” the suit reads, “has failed to realize the promise of Amendment 4. Since the Amendment was passed in 2018, the Defendants have created and perpetuated a bureaucratic morass that prevents people with prior felony convictions from voting or even determining whether they are eligible to vote.

“This is not simply the result of administrative failures or bureaucratic ineptitude. Rather, the record reveals a years’ long campaign of acts and omissions by the Defendants that have thwarted the aspirations of the citizens of Florida who enacted Amendment 4, and the aspirations of those whose rights it restored.”

The suit claims the “election police” unit, which was formed last year to investigate illegal voting and other election-related crimes, has targeted and discriminated against individuals with restored voting rights.

“This effort,” the suit reads, “coupled with the earlier-created roadblocks to registration, has turned the simple act of voting into a complicated and risky venture in the eyes of those who were re-enfranchised by Amendment 4, as well as others who have been affected by the Defendants’ conduct.”

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a group that supported the approval of Amendment 4, filed the lawsuit alongside four individuals who were allegedly affected by the DeSantis administration’s actions.