POLISCOPE
Amendment 4 · Florida statewide

Voting Rights Restoration for Felons

November 6, 2018Passed60% needed to pass

Sponsor: Florida Rights Restoration Coalition

Reported result
Yes 64.5%No 35.5%29.1-point margin

The marker is the 60% share this measure needed to pass.

In plain English

This amendment automatically restores voting rights to Florida residents convicted of felonies once they complete all sentences, including probation and parole, with a permanent exception for those convicted of murder or sexual offenses unless the Governor and Cabinet grant individual restoration. The change would expand the electorate to include an estimated 1.4 million disenfranchised felons in Florida.

Arguments for and against

Attributed claims extracted from the public record. Neither side is endorsed here.

Supporters

Supporters argue the measure addresses racial disparities in the criminal justice system, as Black Floridians represent a disproportionate share of those disenfranchised, and that voting rights should be restored after individuals have paid their debt to society through sentence completion. They contend that civic participation aids rehabilitation and reintegration.

Opponents

Opponents argue that permanent disenfranchisement for serious crimes reflects a legitimate policy choice to protect public safety and that voters should retain the ability to deny voting rights based on criminal history. Some expressed concern about the implementation logistics and the burden on election administrators.

Voter considerations

The measure required a 60% supermajority to pass and applied only to Florida state and local elections, not federal elections, which operate under separate statutory authority.

Who's behind this measure?

Public positions and campaign money—not a recommendation for how to vote.

Supporting groups and campaigns

Groups taking a position
More groups (15)
Campaign money
  • Floridians for a Fair Democracy
    Raised
    Not reported
    Spent
    Not reported
    Snapshot retrieved Nov 7, 2026 · USD
    Donors & reporting details · Floridians for a Fair Democracy

    Registered committee named by Ballotpedia; no totals reported for the most recent reports Ballotpedia processed (coverage end not stated). Ballotpedia cites Florida Department of State — Campaign Finance Database (http://dos.myflorida.com/elections/candidates-committees/campaign-finance/campaign-finance-database/).

    Reported donors are included in receipts, not additional money. This is not a complete donor list. Contributions do not establish influence over an outcome.

  • The Committee to Advance Constitutional Values
    Raised
    Not reported
    Spent
    Not reported
    Snapshot retrieved Nov 7, 2026 · USD
    Donors & reporting details · The Committee to Advance Constitutional Values

    Registered committee named by Ballotpedia; no totals reported for the most recent reports Ballotpedia processed (coverage end not stated). Ballotpedia cites Florida Department of State — Campaign Finance Database (http://dos.myflorida.com/elections/candidates-committees/campaign-finance/campaign-finance-database/).

    Reported donors are included in receipts, not additional money. This is not a complete donor list. Contributions do not establish influence over an outcome.

Opposing groups and campaigns

Groups taking a position
More groups (2)
Campaign money

Committee totals have not been collected. This does not mean $0.

Dated snapshots, not live totals. Missing amounts are not zero. Committees are shown separately.

About sources & coverage

Group positions come from the linked sources. Secondary reporting and first-party statements are distinct from official filings. Committee-wide totals may fund other measures; they are not allocations to this measure. Donor amounts are already part of receipts; neither donors nor overlapping snapshots are added together.

Groups as listed by Ballotpedia (secondary reporting), retrieved 2026-11-07: campaigns, parties, unions and organizations; elected officials and candidates omitted.

Figures compiled by Ballotpedia (secondary reporting) from Florida Department of State — Campaign Finance Database; retrieved 2026-11-07. 5 donor row(s) without a stated amount were omitted. 2 proposed item(s) from brennancenter.org were dropped for lacking a verbatim, side-stating, measure-specific quote.

Official ballot summary

This amendment restores the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation. The amendment would not apply to those convicted of murder or sexual offenses, who would continue to be permanently barred from voting unless the Governor and Cabinet vote to restore their voting rights on a case by case basis.

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