Mike Bloomberg raises millions to help Florida felons vote

Days after after Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, won a court victory to keep felons from voting until they have paid off fines, restitution and court fees, the billionaire and former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination Mike Bloomberg has stepped in to help them pay off the debts.

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Bloomberg is part of an effort that raised more than $20m to help felons who have completed sentences vote in the presidential election. That’s in addition to the $100m he has pledged to help Joe Biden win Florida, a crucial state with 29 electoral college votes that Donald Trump hopes will keep him in the White House.

A federal appellate court ruled on 11 September that in addition to serving their sentences, Florida felons must pay all fines, restitution and legal fees before they can regain the vote. The case could have broad implications for the November elections.

Under Amendment 4, which Florida voters passed overwhelmingly in 2018, felons who have completed their sentences would have voting rights restored. Republican lawmakers then moved to define what it means to complete a sentence.

In addition to time served, lawmakers directed that all legal financial obligations, including unpaid fines and restitution, would also have to be settled.

With Bloomberg’s help, the Florida Rights Restitution Council (FRRC) is trying to get this accomplished. The group had raised about $5m before Bloomberg made calls to raise almost $17m more, according to Bloomberg advisers.

The FRRC said other donors include John Legend, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Ben & Jerry’s, Levi Strauss, the Miami Dolphins, the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat and Stephen Spielberg.

The money is targeted for felons who registered to vote while the law was in question and who owe $1,500 or less. That accounts for about 31,100 people, Bloomberg advisers say. In a state that decided the 2000 presidential election by 537 votes, that could be critical in a year when polls show Trump and Joe Biden in a dead heat.

Organizers say they aren’t targeting people registered with a particular political party.

“To hell with politics, to hell with any other implications or insinuations, at the end of the day it’s about real people, real lives, American citizens who want to be a part of this,” said Desmond Meade, the group’s executive director. “People with felony convictions have had their voices silenced for so long.”