Bloomberg pours money into Florida for Biden, contributes to pay off over $20M debt of felons to help them vote
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has done a favor to more than 31,000 felons in Florida by helping in contributing to pay off debts worth more than $20 million so that they can cast their votes. The former New York City mayor stepped in to help the felons who have completed their prison sentences just days after the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, bagged a court victory to prevent felons from voting till they paid off their fines, restitution and court fees. The 6-4 verdict from the US court of appeals for the 11th circuit came on September 11 in a lawsuit that questioned a 2019 GOP-backed law calling for such restrictions.
After the voters in Florida approved a 2018 measure -- also called Amendment 4 -- to restore automatically the voting rights to people once they complete their criminal sentences. The Republican Party then came up with a new law under which people needed to clear all fines, fees and court expenses before voting again.
The latest move by Bloomberg follows his pledge to invest $100 million in Florida alone to help Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden win the key state that has 29 electoral college votes. “We know to win Florida we will need to persuade, motivate and add new votes to the Biden column. This means we need to explore all avenues for finding the needed votes when so many votes are already determined," Bloomberg, who is worth more than $50 billion, said in a written statement. “The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and no American should be denied that right. Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it,” it added. Bloomberg's contribution was first reported by The Associated Press.
An adviser to the billionaire told the Washington Post that the former presidential candidate made the move to help democracy and activate several thousands of voters “who are predisposed to vote for Joe Biden”. In 2000, the winner of the presidential election in Florida was decided by only 537 votes, which suggests the significance of Bloomberg’s move to activate thousands of voters ahead of the election this fall. The Florida Rights Restitution Coalition, which Bloomberg mentioned in his statement, had raised about $5 million before the billionaire made calls to raise almost $17 million more, according to his staffers.
'To hell with politics'
The group refused to agree that it was targeting only those who are registered with a particular political outfit. “To hell with politics, to hell with any other implications or inuations, at the end of the day it's about real people, real lives, American citizens who want to be a part of this,” Desmond Meade, the group's executive director, was quoted as saying by AP. “People with felony convictions have had their voices silenced for so long,” he added.
The group said other donors who have contributed to the cause include the likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, John Legend, Stephen Spielberg and outfits like the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat, the Miami Dolphins, and others. Neil Volz, the group’s deputy director, said it had already paid off the fines and fees for nearly 5,000 people and averaged to about $1,000 per head.
Trump won Florida by little over a percentage last term and will need to win it in order to clinch the second term. He recently came up with an aid package for Puerto Rico, three years after it was battered by Hurricane Maria, which experts felt was a quest to woo the Hispanic voters who form a sizable part of the population of Florida.