I thought Amendment 4 gave me back my right to vote | Column - Tampa Bay Times

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Although my voter registration has been active for more than a year in Florida, I do not know if I can vote in elections. On Nov. 6, 2018, a supermajority of approximately 65% of Florida’s voters cast their ballots for second chances and redemption and passed Amendment 4. This ballot initiative restored the right to vote to most convicted felons in the state after they completed all the terms of their sentences. Following the amendment’s passage, I could not contain my excitement, and registered to vote on Jan. 9, 2019 — the day after it went into effect.

Amendment 4 represented one culmination of my work over the past few years. Having served my time, I’ve been committed to doing what I can to better myself, my family and my community ever since I returned home. As one example, I serve as a board member of the Marion County chapter of the NAACP to devote my time to issues facing the African-American community, particularly locally. And voting is one of the best ways to have my voice heard and to contribute to the changes that I am working to achieve in my community.

Before I could cast my first ballot, I started to hear rumors on social media and in the news that things had changed with regard to a new law. Shortly after Amendment 4 went into effect, the Florida Legislature passed a law with provisions that undermined Amendment 4’s expansion of voting rights. This law, Senate Bill 7066, includes provisions that require returning citizens to fully pay legal financial obligations before they can vote. The worst part of the new rule for me personally was the lack of clarity. I received no notice of these changes or information about exactly what was expected of me beyond what I read in the news or on social media. Had my voter registration been revoked – or would it be? Was I still expected to pay before I could vote, even though I remember the judge saying I would not have to unless I gained a huge financial windfall, like winning the lottery?

Or, was I going to be stopped at the polling site if I tried to exercise my rights? That was the biggest concern for me, considering my past. While I understood the importance of my vote, the last thing I wanted was to get in more trouble for violating an unclear law. I was reluctant to just go down to the polling site and take any risks. As a father of eight and owner of Royal Sowings Inc., a multi-service company that offers landscaping, debris removal, hauling, towing and equipment rental services, I would not risk anything that would jeopardize me seeing my children or harm the small business I created — I’ve worked too hard.

Eventually, some clarity came — not through the court or the government, but through my work with the Marion County NAACP branch. I was contacted by our branch president, who put me in touch with other returning citizens who feared and did not understand SB 7066’s new requirement, as well attorneys as from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. I learned about the new requirements and how they were enacted to attempt to disenfranchise me and so many other returning citizens who had their rights restored under Amendment 4. Through my membership with the Marion County NAACP branch, I have played an active role in the litigation against the State of Florida to fight to protect Amendment 4 and voting rights for returning citizens.

I am eager for the outcome in this case, which just went to trial. I have already missed two elections because I have not received any guidance or assurance that I should vote, even though I have an active voter registration. Voting is an extension of my commitment to my community. It’s not even about voting in big elections like the presidency — what’s even more important to me is how my vote can make a difference locally. My vote and the vote of formerly incarcerated people like me can make a difference in terms of who gets appointed to the school board in our community and, therefore, how our children are treated and what education they get. My vote can help decide what kind of funds come into my community, and what kind of buildings get put up or torn down. It’s the local elections like the mayors, the governors, and the commissioners that I feel are most important for me to participate in. I don’t want to be forced to sit by and watch racism, gentrification, and injustice take over my community when I could have the ability to make a change.

I just want my voice to be heard and my vote to be counted.

Anthrone Oats is a board member of the Marion County chapter of the NAACP.

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