Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/01/08/unbreaking-democracy.html
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I love the reversal of the still not often used enough GIF.
Here’s hoping Florida Man doesn’t Florida this up through the usual methods of keeping voters away from polls, because this will have a huge impact going forward, given how weirdly crucial Florida is in various elections.
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Unfortunately, they still suffer from the negative that your home location matters a huge deal to how much impact your vote has (the undemocratic disaster of the FPTP voting system, rendering vast areas with no effective democratic input unless they move elsewhere).
As such it falls into the same group: minor tweaking whilst ignoring the core cataclysmic lack of democracy available to voters 
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Not to mention that “speedy trial” is a bit of a farce. Remember Kai, the Hatchet surfer dude? He’s been in jail for five years awaiting trial in April of this year. Bear in mind, he alleges self-defense in his case, and whether you believe him or not, you pay to defend yourself in time, even if not money.
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I’ll believe it when I see it–how much do you want to bet, especially with the current state governance, that they will find a way to deliberately fuck it up. There’s no way an asshole like Ron DeSantis is going to allow all those disenfranchised people of colour an equal say in who gets to tip Florida’s electoral vote in the next presidential election. They will slowroll this and let it get taken to courts where they’ll drag their heels until it’s “too late” to implement for the 2020 elections. See Georgia 2018, and Bush v Gore for other examples of thwarting democracy through the stacked court system. Until the pitchforks come out democracy will continue to be fucked in the US.
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And after slow-walking it, they’ll fiddle with the definitions.
It’s already only for convicted felons who’ve fully served their sentence, and fully completed any probation or parole, and aren’t sex offenders.
Any bets that “fully served” will mean? “Oh, you got time off for good behaviour? No vote for you!”
“Oh, your conviction will be taken into account for a sentence enhancement if you’re ever convicted of anything again. That’s still a form of probation! No vote for you!”
“Oh, a background check will still find your years-old conviction, with time fully served and no repeat offenses! That item in your background check indicates you still haven’t fully repaid your debt to society! No vote for you!”
“Oh, your conviction was expunged but the record was not sealed? No vote for you!”
Until they can find some technicality to re-ensnare all 1.2 million of the ex-cons.
On top of that, expect that attempting to register to vote while an official claims that one of these conditions applies will mean standing trial for a new felony, a stay in jail while awaiting that trial, and maybe getting worked over on the way there. With charges routinely dismissed on the eve of trial. (And a warning off the record from the prosecutor not to try registering again!) Won’t take much for the in terrorem effect to suppress the vote of everyone who looks like you.
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It’s a good start, but much more work needs to be done.
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That’s not FPTP, that’s Federalism. Both suck though.
I was in the mood for some good news.
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