Not So Fast
Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida won widespread praise earlier this year when he announced that new rules that he had put in place had restored voting rights to more than 100,000 former inmates. But the numbers now turn out to have been an illusion.
An analysis by The Orlando Sentinel showed that because of various bureaucratic foul-ups — including the state’s failure to find the right addresses for thousands of ex-inmates — just 8 percent of newly eligible voters had registered to vote by the end of July.
Of course, not every newly eligible prisoner rushed out to register. But restoration notices marked “return to sender” have been piling up in the parole commission’s office at a rapid clip.
Bureaucratic glitches can be repaired, and Mr. Crist has ordered some procedural changes. But Florida’s system needs more than tinkering. It needs a complete overhaul. In nearly 40 other states, inmates automatically win back their voting rights once they complete their sentences. If that system prevailed in Florida, there would be no need for the state to play catch-up the way it is doing now.
Even more perversely, ex-offenders in Florida are not eligible for many state-regulated jobs until their voting rights are restored.
The state needs to end this practice, as recommended by a task force appointed by former Gov. Jeb Bush. Separating employment issues from voting issues would allow the bureaucratic machinery to run more smoothly and would allow ex-offenders to move more quickly into productive employment.
Some of these reforms could be achieved through executive order or simple regulatory changes. Only the Legislature can provide the overhaul Florida’s system needs. This would be good for the ex-offenders, good for Florida and good for the larger cause of democracy.
