Financial restrictions will lock out hundreds of thousands from voting

In response to the enactment of Senate Bill 7066, which purports to “implement” Amendment 4 but actually prevents hundreds of thousands of returning citizens from registering to vote, League of Women Voters of Florida President Patricia Brigham released the following statement:

This past November, we witnessed something beautiful when 5.1 million Floridians said yes to second chances by approving Amendment 4. Floridians of all races, creeds, and political beliefs saw an injustice, and did their part to correct it. Together we abolished voter disenfranchisement born out of racist Jim Crow laws that stood for 150 years.

Unfortunately, we saw the opposite once the legislative session began: a beautiful moment in our state’s history was turned into a political and partisan issue, which was evident in the party-line votes that SB7066 passed on.

The financial restrictions this law places on the right to vote will have a disproportionate impact on Black and low-income citizens. It is for this reason that we have filed suit in federal court to overturn this blatant attempt at voter suppression.

A citizen’s bank account should never be what determines whether they can participate in our democracy.

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