"It felt wonderful," pastor Clifford Tyson said after casting his vote in a presidential election for the first time in 42 years. [_link]

— ABC News (@ABC) October 26, 2020

"Florida used to have the worst system in the country when it came to felony disenfranchisement," said Julie Ebenstein, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's voting rights project. When Amendment 4 was passed, about 1.6 million convicted felons who completed their sentences in the state were not allowed to vote.

"Politicians in Florida, unfortunately, in 2019 passed a law that interpreted all terms of sentence to include payment of legal financial obligation."

Like in many other states, people in Florida are charged various fines when they are convicted of an offense. The ACLU, along with several other groups, sued to block the financial requirement, but this September, a federal appeals court ruled that former felons are required to pay all expenses before they can vote.

Oh wait a minute, it's Florida after all! The swamp ... 😡

Florida ruled felons must pay to vote. Now, it doesn't know how many can. | Tampa Bay News |

Florida officials have not removed any felons from the rolls for owing fines or fees, and they're unlikely to do so before Election Day, Secretary of State Laurel Lee said in an interview Monday. It's unclear whether those whom the state fails to prune are entitled to vote after all -- or may face prosecution if they do.

With so much in flux, the winner of Florida's closely watched presidential vote could be decided by the courts for the second time in two decades.

Did anyone ever mention that Democracy in the New World is quite complex ... manmade. 😉 God was not part of it's creation, blind Trust. Oh, that's Justice in DC!

Ashcroft in 2002: "No  longer will the 'Spirit of Justice' bare her breast". Time for Americans to take off the blindfolds ... and wear masks.