Racial justice/voting rights projects of
the aclu of florida
Year in Review
Felon Re-enfranchisement
The ACLU of Florida Racial Justice Project continues to be a leading voice for felon re-enfranchisement in Florida. Throughout the year, the RJP staff pressed for comprehensive reform of Florida's Reconstruction-era felony disfranchisement policies through public policy advocacy and public education. Further, through restoration of civil rights (RCR) workshops, we provided direct assistance to hundreds of citizens navigating through the complicated civil rights restoration process in Florida and through our helpline we provided RCR guidance and assistance to hundreds more Floridians with past felony convictions seeking to have their civil rights restored. In 2008, we enhanced our toll-free helpline to include recorded RCR information in Spanish and Haitian Creole.
Our staff is a resource for local, state and national media on the issue of felon disfranchisement in Florida, resulting in significant local, state and national attention focused on this issue. In this way, we have ensured that Florida's massive disfranchisement of people with past felony convictions in the does not fade from the public's attention. Over the past year, our media outreach efforts resulted in a very strong New York Times editorial supporting automatic restoration of civil rights (RCR), an interview on NPR?s nationally broadcast "All Things Considered," and coverage of RCR issues in virtually every major newspaper in Florida. RJP staff also worked closely with producers of "Locked Out," a BET News documentary on felony disfranchisement. The program aired nationally in 2008 and the film has been used at community events throughout the state to increase public awareness of Florida's disfranchisement crisis.
The ACLU's RJP staffs the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), a broad-based nonpartisan coalition of over 50 local, state and national organizations collaborating to end Florida's voting rights ban. The RJP staff coordinated and planned the FRRC's 2008 Day of Action in Tallahassee, which brought close to 250 advocates for civil rights restoration to the state capitol. The Day of Action included a rally at which state elected officials spoke, as well as lobbying visits. In 2009, the ACLU of Florida took the lead in planning Day of Action events throughout the state. These events, planned to coincide with the beginning of the state legislative session and with a quarterly Clemency Board meeting on March 12, were held in Miami, Tampa, Naples, Orlando, Pensacola and Panama City. FRRC member organizations hosted local events, which included screenings of "Locked Out,"lobbying visits to state legislators' district offices, press conferences and a community conversation. These Day of Action events drew attention to the continuing disfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of Floridians and were an effective vehicle for advocacy for constitutional reform, immediate reform of the RCR process, and removal of employment barriers for people whose rights have not yet been restored.
During the months leading up to the 2008 election, the RJP staff launched a statewide outreach campaign targeting individuals with past felony convictions. The purpose of the campaign was two-fold: (1) to encourage those former felons who had been granted RCR to register to vote, and (2) to notify individuals who are unaware that their civil rights have been restored that they may be eligible to participate in the November election. The bi-lingual (Spanish and English) campaign was designed in conjunction with a prominent Miami advertising firm and consisted of ads on buses in targeted areas of eight Florida metropolitan areas (Miami, Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Pensacola, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Tallahassee) as well as "window clings" and store posters. In addition to this highly visible ad campaign, members of the FRRC distributed postcards throughout Florida about how to easily access information about their voting rights status. By targeting businesses, bus routes, and services frequented by African American and Hispanic populations, we were able to reach out to people in the communities that are most affected by Florida's system of lifetime disfranchisement.
In March 2009, the ACLU of Florida released its report: Still Voteless and Voiceless in Florida - Florida's Continuing Disfranchisement Crisis. The report reveals that even after the reforms enacted by the Board of Executive Clemency in April 2007, barriers to exercising their right to vote continue to disfranchise hundreds of thousands of Florida citizens with past felony convictions who have completed their terms of incarceration and any supervision. The report also includes the results of our 2008 survey of employees in all 67 county supervisors of elections offices to assess their knowledge of the RCR process. The survey reveals widespread confusion among these employees about the eligibility of voters with criminal convictions and about virtually every aspect of the RCR process. We hope that the report will be a catalyst for future RCR reforms.
Racial Profiling
One of the ACLU of Florida's on-going initiatives to address racial profiling relates to police practices on Miami Beach during Memorial Day weekend. This involved coordinating meetings and strategy sessions with partnering organizations, organizing meetings with officials involved in the policing of Urban Beach Week (UBW), including City of Miami Beach officials, Miami-Dade Police, and Miami-Dade Goodwill Ambassadors, analyzing public records relating to arrests during UBW, making recommendations regarding effective policing that does not rely on arrests, and recruiting and coordinating volunteers to engage in monitoring police activities throughout the weekend.
Racial Justice and Human Rights
The affiliate continues to use human rights principles and strategies to advance its racial justice advocacy. During the first quarter of 2008, the ACLU of Florida planned and coordinated the June visit to Miami by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Racism, Xenophobia and Related Forms of Race Discrimination. The affiliate took the lead in bringing together a diverse cross-section of Miami community organizations to host a series of panel discussions on human rights, and to organize a tour of Miami-Dade County. In addition, in December 2008, the affiliate commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights by hosting events throughout the state to raise public awareness of human rights and by obtaining Human Rights proclamations from at least three Florida cities.
Election 2008
In 2008, the Voting Rights Project devoted significant time and attention to voting issues relating to the November 2008 presidential election. As an active member of the Election Protection coalition in Florida, ACLU of Florida planned and attended meetings with county supervisors of elections with the goal of identifying and avoiding potential problems at the polls. In addition, the affiliate provided nonpartisan voter information to Florida voters.
In collaboration with the Advancement Project, the Voting Rights Project released a "No Match FAQ Sheet" to provide accurate public information and dispel popular rumors regarding Florida's "No Match" law. In collaboration with other Election Protection partners, the ACLU of Florida issued statements to state and local officials on election topics including the "no match" law and the intimidating presence of law enforcement at polling places. Finally, through its state and regional offices, ACLU chapters and other nonpartisan civic engagement groups, the affiliate distributed close to 32,000 English, Spanish and Creole language voter empowerment cards throughout the state.
