Signed by Governor Ron DeSantis

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires felons to pay all outstanding court-ordered fees prior to the restoration of their voting rights.

Highlights:

• Requires the statewide voter registration application to be designed to request the following information (Sec. 21):

• Whether the applicant has been convicted of a felony, and if convicted, they have had their voting rights restored through executive clemency, including a checkbox next to the statement: “If I have been convicted of a felony, I affirm my voting rights have been restored by the Board of Executive Clemency;” and 

• Whether the applicant has been convicted of a felony and, if convicted, has had their voting rights restored by including a checkbox next to the statement: “If I have been convicted of a felony, I affirm my voting rights restored upon the completion of all terms of my sentence, including parole or probation.”

• Defines “completion of all terms of sentence” as any portion of a sentence that is contained in the four corners of the sentencing document, including but not limited to the following (Sec. 25):

• Release from any term of imprisonment ordered by the court as part of the sentence;

• Termination from any term of probation or community control ordered by the court as part of the sentence;

• Fulfillment of any term order by the court as part of the sentence;

• Termination from any term of any supervision, including parole; 

• Fully payment of restitution ordered to a victim by the court as part of the sentence; and

• Full payment of fines or fees ordered by the court as a part of the sentence or that are ordered by the court as part of the sentence, including by not limited to probation, community control, or parole.

• Specifies that the financial obligations requires include only the amount specifically ordered by the court as part of the sentence and do not include any fines, fees, or costs that accrue after the date the obligation is ordered as part of the sentence (Sec. 25). 

• Specifies that financial obligations may be considered completed in the following manners (Sec. 25):

• Actual payment of the obligation in full;

• Upon the payee’s approval, either through appearance in open court or through the production of  notarized consent by the payee, the termination by the court of any financial obligation a payee, including a victim or the court; or

• Completion of all community service hours, if the court converts the financial obligation to community service. 

• Requires the Department of State to adopt the following rules establishing minimum security standards for voting systems (Sec. 7):

• Chain of custody of ballots, including a detailed description of procedures to create a complete written record of the chain of custody of ballots and paper outputs beginning with their receipt from a printer until they are destroyed;

• Transport of ballots, including a description of the method and equipment used and a detailed list of the names of all individuals involved in such transport; and

• Ballot security, including a requirement that all ballots be kept in a locked room in the supervisor’s office, a facility controlled by the supervisor of elections, or county canvassing board, or a public place in which the county canvassing board is canvassing votes until needed for canvassing and returned thereafter. 

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires felons to pay all outstanding court-ordered fees prior to the restoration of their voting rights.

Highlights:

• Requires the statewide voter registration application to be designed to request the following information (Sec. 21):

• Whether the applicant has been convicted of a felony, and if convicted, they have had their voting rights restored through executive clemency, including a checkbox next to the statement: “If I have been convicted of a felony, I affirm my voting rights have been restored by the Board of Executive Clemency;” and 

• Whether the applicant has been convicted of a felony and, if convicted, has had their voting rights restored by including a checkbox next to the statement: “If I have been convicted of a felony, I affirm my voting rights restored upon the completion of all terms of my sentence, including parole or probation.”

• Defines “completion of all terms of sentence” as any portion of a sentence that is contained in the four corners of the sentencing document, including but not limited to the following (Sec. 25):

• Release from any term of imprisonment ordered by the court as part of the sentence;

• Termination from any term of probation or community control ordered by the court as part of the sentence;

• Fulfillment of any term order by the court as part of the sentence;

• Termination from any term of any supervision, including parole; 

• Fully payment of restitution ordered to a victim by the court as part of the sentence; and

• Full payment of fines or fees ordered by the court as a part of the sentence or that are ordered by the court as part of the sentence, including by not limited to probation, community control, or parole.

• Specifies that the financial obligations requires include only the amount specifically ordered by the court as part of the sentence and do not include any fines, fees, or costs that accrue after the date the obligation is ordered as part of the sentence (Sec. 25). 

• Specifies that financial obligations may be considered completed in the following manners (Sec. 25):

• Actual payment of the obligation in full;

• Upon the payee’s approval, either through appearance in open court or through the production of  notarized consent by the payee, the termination by the court of any financial obligation a payee, including a victim or the court; or

• Completion of all community service hours, if the court converts the financial obligation to community service. 

• Requires the Department of State to adopt the following rules establishing minimum security standards for voting systems (Sec. 7):

• Chain of custody of ballots, including a detailed description of procedures to create a complete written record of the chain of custody of ballots and paper outputs beginning with their receipt from a printer until they are destroyed;

• Transport of ballots, including a description of the method and equipment used and a detailed list of the names of all individuals involved in such transport; and

• Ballot security, including a requirement that all ballots be kept in a locked room in the supervisor’s office, a facility controlled by the supervisor of elections, or county canvassing board, or a public place in which the county canvassing board is canvassing votes until needed for canvassing and returned thereafter. 

Full Bill Text