Despite being a convicted felon, former President Donald Trump is still eligible to vote for himself for president in Palm Beach, Florida. While many felons lose their voting rights following a conviction, Florida law does allow for felons to have their voting rights restored under certain circumstances.
In Trump’s case, his conviction occurred in New York, where he was convicted of 34 felony counts of business fraud for hush money payments made to keep his alleged extramarital affairs a secret prior to the 2016 presidential election. Under Florida law, when a resident has an out-of-state felony on their record, the state defers to the laws of the state they were convicted in to determine their voting eligibility.
Thanks to a New York law passed in 2021, Trump is eligible to vote because he is not in prison at the time of the election.
For residents with felony convictions in Florida, restoring their voting rights isn’t as straightforward. While lawmakers passed a law in 2018 to restore voting rights for convicted felons when their sentence is completed, Republicans gutted the law and added a clause requiring them to pay off any outstanding fines and fees before they can vote again.
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