ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Florida is no stranger to the national spotlight, but Sunday’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver took on a story that didn’t have anything to do with alligators or weird crime.
Host John Oliver took aim at Gov. Rick Scott and the state’s clemency board, saying Florida is “the disenfranchisement capital of America” and calling the process for felons to regain voting rights “insane.”
Oliver noted that more than one million Floridians are barred from voting under a post-Civil War change to the state constitution. This process disproportionately affects black Floridians, Oliver said, and more than one in five black adults in the state can’t vote.
Oliver said those convicted of felonies who have completed their sentences are “suffering taxation without representation...that has been a bit of a sticking point for America.”
Florida is one of only a few states that does not automatically restore voting rights. Instead, those convicted of felonies who have completed their sentences have to appear in Tallahassee before a clemency board -- made up of members of Scott’s cabinet -- to plead their case to have their rights restored.
Oliver said the process is “like someone finishing a triathlon only for Scott to say, ‘no, it’s a quadrathlon. Now you have to learn Mandarin.’”
Oliver then gives a breakdown of the clemency process: The panel meets only four times a year and often faces too many cases for it to review.
He said those asking for clemency are “given 10 minutes to prove you’ve turned your life around” and that personal lives are on the table as well.
Oliver also went after Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who is on the board, questioning why he keeps applicants if they go to church.
“If the answer to that question is important, that’s f***** up. If it’s not, why are you constantly asking it?”
“Either you are factoring religious habit into evaluation into whether someone should be able to vote,” Oliver said. “Or you’re making a list of people’s houses that would be easy to rob on a Sunday morning...neither is a good use of the panel’s time.”
In a statement to 10News, Gov. Rick Scott's office said this about Oliver's segment and Florida's clemency process:
“The Governor believes that people who have been convicted of felony offenses including crimes like murder, violence against children and domestic violence, should demonstrate that they can live a life free of crime while being accountable to our communities. He is focused on the victims of crimes, not the criminals who commit them. Florida’s clemency process is outlined in Florida’s Constitution and has been in place under multiple gubernatorial administrations.”
Oliver ended the segment with a direct appeal to Floridians -- and by donning a Florida Gators hat, putting a plastic pink flamingo on his desk and noting residents’ willingness to give second chances.
“Even...your state song speaks to your ability to screw up then bounce back,” Oliver said. “The original lyrics had to be changed because they were too racist.”
Oliver said “Florida has a chance to fix this” with Amendment 4 on the November ballot. The proposed measure would restore the right to vote for people with felony convictions who have completed their sentences. It would exclude those convicted of murder and felony sexual offenses.
“This November, Florida, you have a real chance,” Oliver said. “Please on November 6...go cast a vote for your fellow Floridians who are unable to.”
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
