Felon voting continues to be a major debate point dividing across the lines those who argue that forbidding or preventing felons from voting is disenfranchisement and those who think that this is not the case. The controversial topic has been the object of several court cases in the USA for several years now, including in Florida where tensions are between those who believe felons must acquit of their fines before having their voting rights restored and those who think the right to vote is not conditional upon such requirements. In the latest news on this front, that is as concerns the problem of felon voting in Florida, Mike Schneider reports in an article in the Associated Press that

Florida’s Republican governor on Friday asked the state’s high court to rule on whether convicted felons must pay all fines and fees before getting their voting rights restored in a move that competes with ongoing litigation in federal court on that same question.

Gov. Ron DeSantis asked the Florida Supreme Court justices to issue an opinion on whether felons must pay all fines and fees before they are eligible to register to vote. Requests for an advisory opinion from a Florida governor to the state Supreme Court are rare — the last one was about six years ago from then-Gov. Rick Scott.

Last year, Florida voters approved Amendment 4, restoring voting rights for felons other than convicted murderers and sex offenders. Before its passage, Florida was among only three states that permanently disenfranchised felons unless their rights were restored by a clemency board.

See full story here.