Re: Floridians are being denied this fundamental right until they can pay a modern-day poll tax. But you can do something about it right now. Here's what I need from you:

Friend, earlier this year, the Florida state legislature bypassed the will of 65% of Florida voters and disenfranchised 700,000 people who had just won back their right to vote. 65% of Florida voters voted YES on Amendment 4, amending the state constitution so that 1.4 million people who served their time could have their constitutional voting rights restored. But state lawmakers stole the vote right back from half of those returning citizens by passing a poll tax that requires returning citizens to pay back all fines and fees associated with their conviction before they can vote again. Now, in a state where the last presidential election was decided by 112,000 votes, Florida lawmakers have disenfranchised 700,000 people because they don't have enough money. [No one's vote should come with a price tag, Friend, but that's exactly the hurdle 700,000 Floridians need help clearing. Please chip in $5 to help clear financial obligations so these returning citizens can vote in this election of a lifetime.]( Keep fighting, Irna Landrum, Daily Kos P.S. You can find an earlier email I sent about the heinous Florida poll tax below: --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, the right to vote is a foundational constitutional right for United States citizens, but more than 700,000 Floridians are being denied this fundamental right until they can pay a modern-day poll tax. After a hard-fought 2018 campaign, Florida voters [overwhelmingly passed]( Amendment 4--a state constitutional amendment restoring the right to vote to folks who fully complete their sentences--which enfranchised 1.4 million Floridians who had previously been banned from voting for life. The Florida state legislature moved immediately to [undermine]( the will of Florida voters and steal this victory, passing a law that requires people to pay all court-ordered fines and fees before the state restores their voting rights. Now 700,000 Floridians cannot vote unless they meet a financial requirement. This is a poll tax, plain and simple. [Florida's returning citizens have more than earned their right to vote. While we work to overturn this heinous law, a high stakes election is just around the corner, Please chip in $5 to help 700,000 disenfranchised voters pay off their fines and fees so they can finally cast their ballots.]( The presidential race is extremely tight in Florida right now, and the 2016 election was decided by only around 112,000 votes. Restoring voting rights to citizens returning from incarceration certainly has the potential to determine the outcome for the whole state. Clearly many Florida legislators would rather play political games than uphold their constituents' right to vote and have a say in who represents them. But the role of legislators is not to manipulate elections or select voters for more favorable results. Â People who've been convicted of crimes do NOT forfeit their citizenship, and their civil rights must be protected. This poll tax is chipping away at voting rights and must not be allowed to stand. In the meantime, you can help people exercise their right to vote. [Chip in $5 to help returning citizens pay the poll tax that's standing between them and their voting rights.]( Keep fighting, Irna Landrum, Daily Kos Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.