Sign the MoveOn Petition Here!
The Biden and Trump campaigns are focusing on Florida, the state so evenly
divided that elections are often won by a few thousand or even a few hundred
votes.
It was a big setback when in September a Federal
appeals court dominated by Trump nominees ruled that over 700,000
former felons, many of whom lean Democratic, would not be able to vote unless
they paid all their court fees.
In 2019, Florida voters passed an amendment to the state constitution that
restored voting rights to those with felony convictions who had completed “all
terms” of their sentences. The
Republican state legislature decided that “all
terms” also requires payment of fines and fees, overturning the will of the
voters.
Their decision was initially struck down in Federal court. A judge found that the overwhelming majority
of former felons would be too poor to pay the amounts owed, if they could find
out what they owed, saying that the law had created an “administrative
nightmare” and was effectively an unconstitutional tax on voting. The
amount of fees, and the completion of their payments, can only be determined by
officials of the county in which the violations have occurred. That’s the system that the Federal appeals
court just reaffirmed.
Fortunately, returning citizens can turn to the Florida Rights Restoration
Coalition to navigate this process. FRRC
has also taken donations of $3
million so far to help them pay off fines.
Of the total number of Florida’s returning citizens at
least 85,000 have already registered to vote. It’s unclear how much fines those citizens
owe, or the procedures for paying off a majority of them rapidly. Since most
such fees are considered unlikely to be paid off, county officials may be open
to negotiation for part payment of back fees, according to the Fines and Fees Justice
Center. A $5 or $10 million donation to
FRRC right now could be pivotal to the presidential race. It’s a hypothetical question until a large
donor contacts FRRC.
There are quite a few extremely wealthy
Americans who could easily put that up, but the most likely candidate is
Michael Bloomberg.
Forbes magazine ranked him as one of the richest people
in the world, with a net worth of $60 billion. Tom Steyer, whose presidential campaign also
folded quickly, has a net worth of only $1.6 billion. Bloomberg could donate Steyer’s entire net
worth to 2020 campaigns and would hardly notice it.
Bloomberg spent $935
million dollars of his own money on his brief presidential run. That sum exceeded the $748 million Barack
Obama raised from donors in the 2008 election. After he ended his campaign, Democrats
were relieved to hear him promise a “massive
spending blitz,” in which he would donate
whatever
it took to beat Trump.
As of late July, Bloomberg
had given $18 million to the Democratic National Committee and $11 million
to the House Majority PAC. He had also
spent $331 million on efforts to combat Covid-19.
In August he pledged $60
million more to Democratic House races. In September, he committed to
spending $100 million to the Biden campaign in
Florida. These recent donations are
laudable, but insufficient. Given our dire circumstances and Bloomberg’s
immense resources, we urge him to step up his support for Democratic campaigns
immediately.
On September 17, the Miami Herald Editorial Board agreed, calling
Bloomberg the last hope for these potential voters, as October 5 is the
last day to register. ("Write a big old check, Mr. Bloomberg, and help
Florida's ex-felons vote in November.")
https://www.miamiherald.com/article245797425.html
On September 21, the New York Times published an op ed, "This is How Bloomberg Can Help Biden Win Florida," with the same request.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/21/opinion/bloomberg-florida-felon-debts.html
Mr. Bloomberg, please contact FRRC and determine how best to pay the fees
and secure the voting rights for the largest number of Florida’s returning
citizens in time for this election.
And next, please make good on your promise to donate whatever it takes to
beat Trump. Your investments are at risk. All the previous good
works of Bloomberg Philanthropies - on the arts, education, the
environment, good government, and public health – will be in dire peril unless
Democrats take the White House and Senate.
At stake is America remaining a nation of laws, not an authoritarian regime,
and our capacity to respond to the virus and the climate crisis. Everything is on the line. Please do as much as you can right now.
“A Tight Trump-Biden Race in Florida: Here’s the State of Play,” NYT, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/us/politics/florida-trump-biden-2020.html
“Court upholds Florida law requiring felons to pay fines, fees before they can vote,” The Hill, https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/516054-court-upholds-florida-law-requiring-felons-to-pay-fines-fees-before
“Supreme Court Deals Major Blow to Ex-Felon’s Right to Vote in Florida,” NPR, https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892105780/supreme-court-deals-major-blow-to-ex-felons-right-to-vote-in-florida
“Federal appeals court blocks Florida's felons from voting until fees and fines are paid,” USA Today, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/11/federal-court-rules-florida-felons-rights-vote-fall-election/5748335002/
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, https://floridarrc.com/
“Felons Have the Potential to Swing Close 2020 Races,” Politico,
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/felon-votes-swing-2020-races-409495
“Bloomberg Gave Almost $1 Billion to his Presidential Campaign,” Bloomberg, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-20/bloomberg-gave-almost-1-billion-to-his-presidential-campaign
“Bloomberg Plots Spending Blitz to Support Joe Biden’s Run for President,” CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/15/mike-bloomberg-plots-spending-blitz-to-back-joe-biden-campaign.html
“Bloomberg Vowed to Spend Whatever It Takes to Beat Trump. Democrats Are Still Waiting,” NPR, https://www.npr.org/2020/07/29/896545732/bloomberg-vowed-to-spend-whatever-it-takes-to-beat-trump-dems-are-still-waiting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg
“Bloomberg Promised to Spend Big Against Trump. What Happened?” NY1, https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2020/07/25/mike-bloomberg-promised-to-spend-big-against-trump--what-happened-
“Mike Bloomberg gives $60 Million to help Democrats in November as former campaign aides turn against him,” Guardian, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election/mike-bloomberg-house-democratic-national-convention-2020-presidential-election-a9675956.html
“Mike Bloomberg to Commit at Least $100 Million to Help Biden Campaign in Florida,” Time, https://time.com/5888547/bloomberg-biden-funding/
“Bloomberg Philanthropies Unveil Website and Priorities,” Chronicle of Philanthropy, https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Bloomberg-Philanthropies/154947
