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Bloomberg pays fines for 32,000 felons in Florida so they can vote

by Dominick Mastrangelo - 09/22/20 9:27 AM ET

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has reportedly raised more than $16 million in an effort to help convicted felons in Florida register to vote.

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition estimated Bloomberg’s fundraising push has already paid off monetary obligations for 32,000 felons, Axios reported.

“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and no American should be denied that right,” a Bloomberg spokesperson told the news outlet. “Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it.”

Florida passed a law in 2018 reinstating voting rights for felons that dictated they could register only if they pay all fines, fees and restitution — sometimes totaling more than $1,000 — owed to the government.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Florida, last week ruled to uphold the law.

Last week, several television networks also pledged to donate money to the cause.

Bloomberg, who ran in the Democratic primary for president, has endorsed the party’s nominee, Joe Biden, and has donated at least $100 million to the former vice president’s campaign to defeat President Trump.

Tags 2020 election Disfranchisement Donald Trump Felon voting rights Florida Joe Biden Michael Bloomberg