Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has reportedly raised more than $16 million in an effort to help convicted felons in Florida register to vote.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition estimated Bloomberg's fundraising push has already paid off monetary obligations for 32,000 felons, Axios reported.
"The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and no American should be denied that right," a Bloomberg spokesperson told the news outlet. "Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it."
Florida passed a law in 2018 reinstating voting rights for felons that dictated they could register only if they pay all fines, fees and restitution - sometimes totaling more than $1,000 - owed to the government.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Florida, last week ruled to uphold the law.
Last week, several television networks also pledged to donate money to the cause.
Bloomberg, who ran in the Democratic primary for president, has endorsed the party's nominee, Joe Biden, and has donated at least $100 million to the former vice president's campaign to defeat President Trump.
rabidstoat on September 23rd, 2020 at 08:07 UTC »
And Florida representative Matt Gaetz is all upset and wants the Florida attorney general to charge Bloomberg with felonies over it. From another article:
That statute starts off with "Whoever by bribery, menace, threat, or other corruption whatsoever, either directly or indirectly, attempts to influence, deceive, or deter any elector in voting..." He is banking on this meaning to influence whether a person votes, as opposed to influencing how a person votes. Given that the next part talks about buying and influencing votes, it seems pretty obvious they mean ithe latter. (And otherwise it seems like offering people free rides to polls would be illegal and that happens all the freaking time.)
philosophunc on September 23rd, 2020 at 04:30 UTC »
Wait a sec so it's a monetary amount (fines) that prevent felons from voting? That's messed up. Surely if they do their time. And perhaps community service or some representation they're part of the community again they should get to vote. What a glaring illustration of pay to play.
teargasted on September 23rd, 2020 at 03:41 UTC »
The system is so incredibly corrupt... We are relying on billionaires to make the government work for the lower class. Does nobody realize how ridiculous this is?