TAMPA, Fla. – African American voters could be the group that stands to benefit most from Amendment 4, which restores voting rights to certain convicted felons starting Tuesday.
“I think the statistics are very clear. Without a doubt, the African American population is overrepresented by [the convicted felon] population, so I think it is a very real situation,” Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer said.
According to The Sentencing Project, more than 20 percent of blacks who otherwise would have the ability to vote have been unable to because of felony convictions. That’s one in five potential voters within the black community.
“Amendment 4 is something that seeks to remedy a 150-year-old ban on felons not being able to vote,” Tampa city councilman Luis Viera said. “That’s something that was born right out of the conception of Jim Crow, and it survives to this day.”
For many, Amendment 4 is a legislative victory for civil rights, but it’s only half the battle. The true test is in getting convicted felons to actually register and to show up to the polls for elections.
“Now they have the right to vote, and the key issue is, will you be motivated to vote?” Willie Dixon, 87, said. “Because your vote can change the whole paradigm of the electoral system.”
Dixon was first arrested in 1964 on drug charges and spent more time behind bars in the 1970s. He has since turned his life around and was granted a full pardon in 1986 by the state.
He is now very active in church and spends his time running the COACH program, a faith-based prison ministry.
“I spent 35 years in law enforcement, and I was always under the impression that when you completed your debt to society, that you were done, you didn't have to go through another five-year wait, go before a board,” Latimer said. “If you've completed all the conditions of your sentence, you need to get reintegrated back into our community."
For more information on registering to vote, click here.
Emerald Morrow is a reporter with 10News WTSP. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. You can also email her at emorrow@wtsp.com.
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