Down With Florida’s Poll Tax
Florida Republicans just passed a poll tax that disenfranchises many of the same felons who recently won the right to vote. It's a chilling throwback to previous eras of black voter suppression — and a reminder that we still have to fight for basic democratic rights today.
Clarence Singleton registers to vote at the Lee Country Supervisor of Elections office on January 08, 2019 in Fort Myers, Florida. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Last week, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 7066 into law, forcing former felons to pay “all restitution, fines, fees, or outstanding costs associated with the conviction” before having their right to vote recognized. The move is a direct assault on Amendment Four, which a large majority of Floridians approved last November and which reestablished voting rights for those same former felons.
The actions of DeSantis and the Florida state legislature show the limits of using the power of the ballot alone to try to expand participatory democracy. But they also highlight the unending struggle in the United States for even basic democratic rights.
Immediately, voting rights activists decried the bill as a “poll tax,” and civil rights groups filed lawsuits seeking to overturn it. The invocation of the term “poll tax” is not only a rhetorical tool designed to reveal the measure’s cruelty. It also reminds us of the long history in the United States of purportedly non-racist laws that disenfranchise African Americans.
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