ORLANDO, FL — September 29, 2026 — With early voting beginning October 24, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) is reminding returning citizens who have regained the right to vote that their voice belongs in this election.

Last week, state officials announced voter fraud charges against 20 people, including four people with past felony convictions. Everyone charged is presumed innocent while their cases move through the courts. When news like this breaks weeks before an election, the people most likely to stay home are eligible voters who are afraid of making an honest mistake. Florida saw the same kind of announcement days before the 2022 primary, and FRRC heard from members then who wondered whether voting was worth the risk.

“If you’ve completed your sentence and your rights are restored, you have every right to vote, and we will stand with you,” said Raven Lightsey, Interim Executive Director of FRRC. “Returning citizens fought to win this right in 2018. Nobody should let a headline talk them out of it.”

Florida asks returning citizens to prove their eligibility using records spread across county clerks, courts, the Department of Corrections, and other agencies. No one place lets a person check. When someone registers, the state accepts the registration and their supervisor of elections mails a voter information card. People reasonably take that card as a sign they are cleared to vote.

The state holds the records and the authority to verify eligibility. FRRC is calling on Florida to:

• Confirm eligibility at the time of registration, using the records every state agency already holds
• Create one place where any Floridian can check their voting eligibility
• Respond to advisory opinion requests in time for people to act on them before an election

“People should not have to guess whether they are eligible to vote,” Lightsey said. “The state has the records. Checking them before a ballot is cast protects voters and protects our elections.”

Until those fixes are in place, FRRC will keep doing this work directly. Returning citizens who have questions can get free help researching their records, understanding any outstanding fines and fees, and requesting an official advisory opinion. Call 1-877-MYVOTE-0 or email info@floridarrc.org.

– Raven Lightsey, Interim Executive Director, FRRC

Last week, state officials announced voter fraud charges against 20 people, including four people with past felony convictions. Everyone charged is presumed innocent while their cases move through the courts. When news like this breaks weeks before an election, the people most likely to stay home are eligible voters who are afraid of making an honest mistake. Florida saw the same kind of announcement days before the 2022 primary, and FRRC heard from members then who wondered whether voting was worth the risk.

“If you’ve completed your sentence and your rights are restored, you have every right to vote, and we will stand with you,” said Raven Lightsey, Interim Executive Director of FRRC. “Returning citizens fought to win this right in 2018. Nobody should let a headline talk them out of it.”

Florida asks returning citizens to prove their eligibility using records spread across county clerks, courts, the Department of Corrections, and other agencies. No one place lets a person check. When someone registers, the state accepts the registration and their supervisor of elections mails a voter information card. People reasonably take that card as a sign they are cleared to vote.

The state holds the records and the authority to verify eligibility. FRRC is calling on Florida to:

• Confirm eligibility at the time of registration, using the records every state agency already holds
• Create one place where any Floridian can check their voting eligibility
• Respond to advisory opinion requests in time for people to act on them before an election

“People should not have to guess whether they are eligible to vote,” Lightsey said. “The state has the records. Checking them before a ballot is cast protects voters and protects our elections.”

Until those fixes are in place, FRRC will keep doing this work directly. Returning citizens who have questions can get free help researching their records, understanding any outstanding fines and fees, and requesting an official advisory opinion. Call 1-877-MYVOTE-0 or email info@floridarrc.org.

– Raven Lightsey, Interim Executive Director, FRRC