Local advocate for felons’ voting rights cries foul after Gov. DeSantis promises clemency for Trump

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Advocates who have fought for the restoration of voting rights for Floridians with past felony convictions are crying foul after Governor Ron DeSantis promised former President Donald Trump would be allowed to vote in the November election.

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Those advocates say the Governor is poised to bend the rules to help his political ally.

Shortly after former President Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts, Governor Ron DeSantis took to social media.

He noted the former President has not lost the right to vote here in Florida.

If Trump loses the right to vote, DeSantis said, “This would be an easy case to qualify for restoration of rights per the Florida Clemency Board, which I chair”.

“There are so many people that filed for clemency years ago and they’re waiting in line and they’re telling them, okay, it could take seven years. But now this individual, the former president, can just walk up and get clemency automatically,” said Rosemary McCoy with Harriet Tubman Freedom Fighters.

McCoy, a Jacksonville resident, has been fighting to have her voting rights restored since being released from prison nearly a decade ago.

She advocated for the felons voting rights amendment voters approved in 2018. She signed onto a lawsuit when DeSantis and state lawmakers made payment of fines, fees, and restitution a requirement for rights restoration.

“The laws are bent for the privileged and for the common people they are basically whipping us,” said McCoy.

State Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) noted DeSantis has touted dozens of arrests of felons who attempted to vote in past elections in violation of state law.

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“It’s definitely a two-tiered system. It shows that if you have more money, that the rules don’t apply to you,” said Nixon.

In Trump’s case, the only way he’d be ineligible to vote under New York State law is if he’s incarcerated during the election.

That would mean DeSantis would have to grant amnesty well before the former President had completed all terms of his sentence as mandated by Florida law.

McCoy argued if it’s good enough for the former President, it should be good enough for all Floridians with felony convictions.

“He needs to ensure that all of us have the right an eligibility to vote. He has that power and we want him to use that power for the people,” said McCoy.

The Governor’s Office declined to weigh in specifically on this story, but in his post on social media DeSantis did cite the “absurd nature of the New York prosecution of Trump” as justification for his suggestion Trump would be granted clemency.

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