This letter from the Office of Executive Clemency, Tallahassee, Florida, claims that the June 8, 2004 press release issued by the Brennan Center reporting and undercount by the Division of Elections of 25,585 is inaccurate.
Statistical Data: Comparison of Department of Elections Clemency Database (used to identify people with felony convictions who have had their voting rights restored) with Office of Executive Clemency Records of Cases Handled.
Your March 28 front-page article “Disenfranchised Florida Felons Struggle to Regain Their Rights” has done a service in calling attention to Florida’s real affront to democracy. In Johnson v. Bush, a case you mentioned, the Brennan Center represents more than 600,000 Florida citizens who, having been previously convicted of felonies, remain barred from voting there despite having fully served their sentences.
Testimony of Deborah Goldberg, Director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center, regarding Hearing on Senate Bill 105. Testimony states that the bill will clarify the existing confusing standard for voting rights restoration in Maryland and will enable people with certain felony convictions who are expected to reintegrate into their communities to exercise the most fundamental right of citizens in a democracy.
