Federal Judge Rules Florida Cannot Bar Ex-felons Who Cannot Pay Fines, Fees From Voting

Voters enter and exit the Austin City Hall during the presidential primary in Austin, Texas, on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

A Florida law that requires convicted felons to pay off outstanding fines and fees related to their sentences before they can register to vote was in part unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled.

With the November election ahead, the decision by U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle on May 24 could potentially give way to hundreds of thousands of ex-felons who have completed “all terms of their sentence including probation and parole” the ability to register to vote, possibly expanding voter rolls in a battleground state.