The Tampa mayoral election is the first race in our area since nearly 1.5 million Floridians re-gained their right to vote. Felons who have completed the terms of their sentence and live in Tampa are able to vote for mayor, some exercising that right for the first time in decades.
James Burton was thrilled to be back at the polls.
"I'm a returning citizen, and I am voting for the first time since I got my card back," Burton.
Burton lost his right to vote in 1972 with a felony conviction.
"People make mistakes, some people make more than others," Burton said. "But once you've paid your debt to society, you should be able to vote again. Because you have to come out to work and pay taxes."
Unfortunately, Burton realized after entering the polling place that he wouldn't be voting today. He lives in Temple Terrace, an incorporated city in northeastern Hillsborough. Only those living in the city of Tampa are eligible.
While Burton was disappointed, this just toughened his resolve to appreciate his right.
"But I am not defeated because the 2020 election is coming up. I'm ready for that," Burton explained.
And he had a message for everyone who sat home during the mayoral election.
"You have the same choices as everyone else to come out and vote, but if you don't want to vote, that's your right," Burton said. "But I wanted my right to vote. It's important to me, and it should be important to everyone."
While Burton could not vote in the Tampa mayoral election because of his address, his voter information card proved he would be voting in 2020.
For the nearly 1.5 million Florida felons who should be eligible to vote, knowing whether they've completed the terms of their services is largely on them.
We reached out to the Florida Department of State, and officials said there has been no delay in implementing Amendment 4. Additionally, they articulated the onus is on individuals to confirm their status, stating, "When a person registers to vote, he/she affirms that he/she is eligible and that all the information submitted on his/her voter registration application is true. The local Supervisor of Elections processes the application as long as the application is deemed complete."
That means it is up to individual felons to know whether they have completed the terms of their service.
Once a completed application is submitted, the citizen is issued a voter information card by the supervisor of elections. Later, if the State Department finds that a newly registered voter is not actually eligible, because they have not completed the terms of their service for example, they flag that person to the supervisors of elections. The supervisor of elections then has the ability to remove a voter.
If you are unsure whether you have completed the terms of your service, you should contact your local clerks of court. You can also use the Florida Rights Restoration "My Vote" hotline at 1-877-MY-VOTE-0.
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