orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-felonmain1408oct14,0,839574.story
OrlandoSentinel.com
At least 30,000 felons eligible to vote in Florida
Sally Kestin
(fort lauderdale) Sun Sentinel
October 14, 2008
More than 30,000 Florida felons who by law should have been stripped of their right to vote remain registered to cast ballots in this presidential battleground state, a Sun Sentinel investigation has found.Many are faithful voters, with at least 4,900 turning out in past elections.
An additional 5,600 are not likely to vote Nov. 4 -- they're in prison.
Of the felons who registered with a party, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2-to-1.
Florida's elections chief, Secretary of State Kurt Browning, acknowledged his staff has failed to remove thousands of ineligible felons from the voting rolls because of a shortage of workers and a crush of new registrations. Browning also said he was not surprised by the findings. "I'm kind of shocked that the number is as low as it is," he said.Asked how many ineligible felons may be on Florida's rolls, Browning said, "We don't know."
The Division of Elections has a backlog of more than 108,000 possible felons who have registered to vote since January 2006 that it hasn't had the time or staff to verify. Browning estimated about 10 percent, once checked, would be ineligible.
"This is part of a big mess," said Jeff Manza, professor of sociology at New York University and author of a book on felon voting. "It's almost certain there will be challenges if the election is close enough that things hinge on this. Both parties are armed to the teeth with legal talent in all the battleground states."
Florida's felon ban originated before the Civil War, and today the state remains one of 10 that restrict some felons from voting even after they've served their time. The law requires state and county elections officials to remove felons from voter rolls after conviction and add them only when they've won clemency to restore their voting rights.
In 2007, the state eased the restrictions by granting automatic clemency to most nonviolent offenders who have completed their sentences. Others, including people convicted of federal offenses, multiple felonies or crimes such as drug trafficking, murder and sex charges, must still apply for clemency and have their cases reviewed.
The felons the Sun Sentinel identified never received clemency, but their names remain on Florida's voter rolls.
Florida registers voters largely on an honor system, asking applicants to affirm on a signed form they are not convicted felons or that their rights have been restored. State law requires the Elections Division to conduct criminal record checks only after voters are added to the rolls, and it takes months or even years to remove those who are ineligible, the Sun Sentinel found.
"It's scandalous, really," said Lance deHaven-Smith, professor of public policy at Florida State University. "Why do they have to cull the rolls after they get registered? They shouldn't get on the rolls in the first place."Felons unchecked
Several felon voters interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel and the Sun Sentinel expressed confusion over clemency and said they thought their voting rights had been automatically restored. Some said they merely signed registration forms that were filled out by volunteers.
Stacey Lynn Brown of Clermont registered just before Christmas 2007, a gesture that embodied her new commitment to be a good citizen.
"It was more symbolic for me, like taking another step in the right direction," said Brown, 35, who was released from prison in December 2004 after serving 6 1/2 years for grand theft, forgery and 12 other felonies, crimes that victimized her family and friends. "To me, [registering] meant I could participate in society in a meaningful and positive way."
Brown, a dispatcher and driver for a taxi service, said she mailed the Lake County Board of Elections a voter-registration form that requires applicants to swear, "I affirm I am not a convicted felon, or if I am, my rights relating to voting have been restored." Though she does not recall if she checked the box, Brown insisted, "I didn't lie."
Once voters are added to the rolls, the procedure for removing them is tedious and labor-intensive. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement runs daily checks of criminal records against new voters and those who have made changes to their registrations, sending possible matches to the Elections Division.
Elections staff then manually check each one, a process that involves three to five workers reviewing records, comparing drivers license and prison photos and verifying convictions. Confirmed matches are sent to the counties for removal.
Since January 2006, more than 1.6 million new voters have registered in Florida. FDLE identified more than 124,000 possible felons.
In that time, elections workers removed about 7,200 from voter rolls statewide.
Elections workers are now reviewing more than 3,800 possible felon voters but have more than 108,000 others still to be checked. Asked how long it will take to review them all, Browning said, "I don't have a clue. I really don't."Emogene Stegall, who has served as Lake County's supervisor of elections for 36 years, said she lacks the staff to verify "honor-system" information on all voter-application forms.
Her office attempts to contact people identified by the FDLE as felons who should be struck from voter rolls. She said she dispatches advisory letters, informing them that their right to vote may be in jeopardy because of a felony conviction.
Those who do not respond or who do not contact her office with proof that their rights have been restored are dropped.
No voting this year
Orlando resident Michael Welch registered to vote in 2006, shortly before he committed his first drug-related felony. He cast a ballot in the general election that year, according to state records, but not since then. The 20-year-old is currently on probation for another felony drug offense.
Welch said he does not intend to vote in November because a friend warned him he could get into trouble by doing so. It's a third-degree felony for ineligible voters to knowingly cast ballots and for campaign workers and voters to submit false registration forms.
When he finishes probation next July, he said, he will apply to have his rights restored.
"I want to see the world change," he said. "Whoever wins [this year], I just hope they make a difference."
Peter Franceschina, John Maines, Megan O'Matz and Dana Williams of the Sun Sentinel contributed to this report. Vicki McClure and Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel also contributed. The Sun Sentinel and Orlando Sentinel are part of Tribune Publishing Co.
Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-felonmain1408oct14,0,839574.storyBetween Acorn and Felons and GOP court actions, this is going to be a l-o-n-g election!
There has just got to be election reforms done on a national standard. The rules need to be strict enough to assure voters that their vote will count without being diluted, and known well in advance so that either party can make the necessary efforts to get their vote out LEGALLY! Photo ID should be standard, IMO. Establishment of citizenship and state residency should also be standard. This whole thing is ridiculous. 
