佛罗里达州已被定罪的重罪犯已服满刑期，正在投票根据佛罗里达州的第四修正案，这是第一次，专家说这一变化可能会动摇总统选举。
根据2018年通过的修正案，在该州被判重罪的人在服刑期满后有资格投票。
美国广播公司新闻的莱昂内尔·莫伊斯与坦帕居民牧师克利福德·泰森进行了交谈，泰森42年来首次在总统选举中投票。
泰森说:“感觉很棒，因为我有90岁的父亲和我在一起，还有我26岁的儿子。”。
2018年，选民以压倒性多数批准了投票倡议。此前，佛罗里达州剥夺了所有被判重罪的人的权利。
威尔弗雷多·李/美联社
2020年10月20日，佛罗里达州迈阿密海滩，人们在提前投票站外排队投票。
“在重罪剥夺公民权的问题上，佛罗里达州曾经是全国最糟糕的系统，”该机构的高级律师朱莉·艾本斯坦说美国公民自由联盟的投票权项目。根据艾本斯坦的说法，当第四修正案通过时，大约160万在该州服刑期满的重罪犯被禁止投票。
“不幸的是，佛罗里达州的政治家们在2019年通过了一项法律，将所有刑期解释为包括支付法定财务义务，”Ebenstein说。
像许多其他州一样，佛罗里达州的人被判有罪时会被处以各种罚款。美国公民自由联盟(ACLU)和其他几个团体一起起诉阻止了这一财务要求，但今年9月，一家联邦上诉法院裁定，要求前重罪犯支付所有费用，然后才能投票。
但即使是那些愿意支付费用的人也经常发现很难做到这一点，因为据称该系统缺乏司法公正。
“能够对人们说，‘嘿，为了投票，你必须偿还罚款和费用。’当那些人出现并说‘我欠了多少钱’时，那就是另一回事了“州政府说，‘哦，好吧，我们真的不能告诉你，因为有67个县，这真的很复杂，’”乔治城大学的法学副教授尼尔·苏哈托姆说，他是这个无党派组织的联合创始人和负责人释放我们的选票。
玛尔塔·拉旺迪尔/美联社
2020年10月24日，佛罗里达州劳德代尔堡，恢复佛罗里达重罪犯投票权的支持者游行到提前投票区。佛罗里达权利恢复联盟领导了佛罗里达几十个县的投票游行。
苏哈托姆说，服刑期满的被定罪的重罪犯应该总是有关于他们欠下的罚款和费用的准确信息，而不管他们的政治信仰如何。
自由我们的投票团队收集并分析了来自全州的数据集，其中包括来自法院书记员、惩教署和选民登记记录的信息。我们的目标是让自由我们的投票成为一个信息交换所，在那里那些以前被判重罪的人可以获得他们需要的关于他们所欠的具体款项以及他们可以在哪里支付这些款项的信息。
当泰森发现他在希尔斯堡县的余额为零时，这是一个改变他一生的时刻。他现在正试图鼓励其他人履行他们的公民义务，行使他们的投票权。
昌丹·卡纳/法新社通过盖蒂图像
2020年10月20日，佛罗里达州迈阿密海滩，选民在迈阿密海滩市政厅排队投票。
“他们活着是为了投票，为了投票而死，”泰森在谈到其他服刑的重罪犯时说。“我的投票和他们的一样重要。我的权利对我来说同样重要。我在那些日子里犯了一些错误，我失去了那种权利。但我向社会付出了我的代价。”
根据佛罗里达州国务院发言人马克·阿德的说法，该州没有单独跟踪根据第四修正案恢复投票权的登记选民。佛罗里达权利恢复联盟估计，自该法案通过以来，67，000名有重罪前科的人能够登记投票。
佛罗里达正被仔细观察在11月选举之前，有29个选区可供争夺。
“这是佛罗里达州，600张选票可以在全国总统选举中发挥作用。但我希望那些已经登记的人，那些超过登记截止日期的人，将去投票站投票，并在一个非常激动人心的时刻加入民主党的进程。
莫伊斯的完整报告可以在美国广播公司新闻“透视”播客。
Florida convicted felons allowed to vote for 1st time in presidential election after completing sentences
Convicted felons in Florida who completed their sentences are votingfor the first time under Florida's Amendment 4, and experts say the change could potentially swing the presidentialelection.
Under the amendment, which was passed in 2018, a person convicted of a felony in the state as of is eligible to vote after completing all terms of his or her sentence.
ABC News' Lionel Moise spoke with Tampa resident pastor Clifford Tyson, who voted in a presidential election for the first time in 42 years.
"It felt wonderful because I had my 90-year-old father with me, also I had my 26-year-old son," said Tyson.
Voters overwhelmingly approved the ballot initiative in 2018. Previously, the state of Florida disenfranchised everyone who had a felony conviction.
"Florida used to have the worst system in the country when it came to felony disenfranchisement," said Julie Ebenstein, a senior staff attorney with theAmerican Civil Liberties Union's voting rights project.According to Ebenstein, when Amendment 4 was passed, about 1.6 million convicted felons who completed their sentences in the state were not allowed to vote.
"Politicians in Florida, unfortunately, in 2019 passed a law that interpreted all terms of sentence to include payment of legal financial obligation," said Ebenstein.
Like in many other states, people in Florida are charged various fines when they are convicted of an offense. The ACLU, along with several other groups, sued to block the financial requirement, but this September, a federal appeals court ruled that former felons are required to pay all expenses before they can vote.
But even those willing to pay their fees often find it difficult to do so due to the alleged lack of justice in the system.
"It's one thing to be able to say to folks, 'Hey, you got to pay back your fines and fees in order to vote.' It's another thing when those folks show up and say, 'How much do I owe?' The state says, 'Oh, well, we can't really tell you because there are 67 counties and it's really complicated,'" said Neel Sukhatme, an associate professor of law at Georgetown University and the co-founder and director of the non-partisan groupFree Our Vote.
Supporters of restoring Florida felons' voting rights march to an early voting precinct, Oct. 24, 2020, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition led marches to the polls in dozens of Florida counties.
Sukhatme said convicted felons who completed their sentences should always have accurate information on how much they owe in fines and fees -- regardless of their political beliefs.
The Free Our Vote team gathered to analyze data sets from across the state, which including information from the Clerk of Courts, Department of Corrections and voter registration records. The goal was to make Free Our Vote into a clearinghouse, where those previously convicted of felonies could get the information they needed on what specific payments they owed and where they could pay them.
It was a life-changing moment for Tyson when he found out his balance in Hillsborough County was zero dollars. He is now trying to encourage others to carry out their civic duty and exercise their right to vote.
Voters wait in line to cast their early ballots at Miami Beach City Hall in Miami Beach, Florida, Oct. 20, 2020.
"They live to vote and die trying to vote," said Tyson of other felons who did their time. "My vote is just as important as theirs. My rights are just as important to me. I made some mistakes back in those days, I lost that right. But I paid my dues to society."
According to Florida Department of State spokesperson Mark Ard, the state does not separately track registered voters who had their voting rights restored under Amendment 4. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition estimates that since it passed, 67,000 people with prior felony convictions were able to register to vote.
Florida is beingclosely observedahead of the November election, and 29 electorates are up for grabs.
"It's Florida, 600 votes can make the difference in national presidential elections. But I hope that those who are now registered, who passed the registration deadline, will go to the polls and cast their ballot and will join in the Democratic process in a very exciting time to be involved," said Ebenstein.
Moise's full report can be heard on theABC News "Perspective" podcast.
