U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa, St. Petersburg, FL) sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder to urge a Justice Department inquiry relating to civil rights restoration in Florida.  In Florida, most non-violent offenders never regain their civil rights and voting rights due to multi-year and bureaucratic requirements imposed by the Florida Clemency Board.

“I believe that in operation Florida is violating the U.S. Constitution’s tenets of due process and equal protection,” Castor wrote.  “Therefore, I respectfully request that the Justice Department conduct a thorough investigation into whether legal action is warranted against the State of Florida for its effective bar on civil rights restoration for non-violent offenders.”

In 2007, the Florida Clemency Board under Governor Charlie Crist voted to streamline the approval process for people with convictions for non-violent offenses.  But in 2011, the Clemency Board under Governor Rick Scott reversed these rights restoration rules and instituted highly restrictive policies. That year, the Clemency Board restored civil rights to only 78 people. It is estimated that by this year’s elections, as many as 600,000 people who otherwise could have voted will be absent from Florida's polls.

“Nonviolent offenders who have completed their sentences and paid their debt to society should have full and equal access to exercise their voting rights,” Castor continued.  “We must use all the tools and legal authorities at our disposal to fight against racial discrimination, to stand against disenfranchisement and to safeguard the right of every eligible American to cast a ballot.”

In February of this year, Castor was joined by the ACLU and NAACP in calling on Governor Scott and the Florida Clemency Board to restore the right to vote of nonviolent offenders who have paid fines and completed probation.  In March, she sent a letter to Governor Scott urging the change in policy.  The Governor and Board refused to take action.  Two months ago, Attorney General Holder advised Governor Scott that the state’s action relating to voting rights would remain under scrutiny after Scott’s attempted voter purge in 2012.