More than one million people in Florida will soon be able to vote after Floridians passed Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to people convicted of felonies in the state, Vox reports.
Around 64 percent of voters approved the Amendment, which surpasses the 60 percent threshold needed for it to pass, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
According to the amendment, as long as convicted felons completed their sentences, they will be able to vote in future elections.
However, those convicted of murder or felony crimes will be excluded.
African-Americans in Florida are expected to benefit the most from Amendment 4 passing. In the 2016 presidential election, more than 418,000 Black voters were ineligible to vote due to past felony convictions, per Vox.
Current governor and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Florida Rick Scott opposes the measure, per the Times.
“If you are a convicted felon part of what you did is you lose your rights and there ought to be a process to get those rights back. I think it is fair to the rest of the citizens of the state,” he reportedly said.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis also opposes the measure, while Mayor Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for Florida governor approves the measure, which had received bipartisan support.
Florida’s strict voting right restoration law, which required people to wait seven years to apply, allowed Florida to lead in the number of disenfranchised voters in any state, per reports.
