Our First Full Year

In its first full year as an official organization, with Desmond Meade at the helm as President, members of the FRRC traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for returning citizens at a Congressional briefing about the Democracy Restoration Act (DRA). Had it become law, the DRA would have given four million disenfranchised Americans the right to participate in federal elections.

FRRC Launches Ballot Initiative

In 2013, FRRC turned its focus to launching a ballot initiative to put voting rights restoration in front of Florida voters. This meant galvanizing support around the state and building a diverse coalition. FRRC held a protest march to State Attorney Pam Bondi’s office, who’d spent years tightening restrictions on voting rights for returning citizens, along with Governor Rick Scott.

FRRC Testifies at the United Nations

In March, members of FRRC testified in front of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights, detailing how restrictions on voting rights in the U.S., including rights restoration restrictions passed by the Florida Board of Executive Clemency in 2011, violate the international rights agreement. FRRC coordinated a historic first meeting in Washington, D.C., between the White House and formerly incarcerated people. Later in the year, rather than a traditional convening, the FRRC met in Tallahassee for a day of action to attend a clemency hearing.

FRRC Builds Support for Amendment 4

The building of grassroots efforts to support our ballot initiative was underway. Members of FRRC were spreading our message from churches to civil rights workshops to local podcasts and voting rights events throughout the state. The top priority that year: petition collection for the ballot initiative that would become known as Amendment 4.

Our Dedication Strengthens

With a PO Box and a living room to gather petitions, FRRC remained dedicated to collecting the petitions for our ballot initiative. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of disen­fran­chised Flor­idi­ans grew by nearly 150,000 to an estim­ated total of 1,686,000, including more than 1 in 5 of Flor­id­a’s Black voting-age popu­la­tion.

FRRC Collects One Million Signatures

In a levy-breaking moment for the movement, the Florida Supreme Court approved FRRC’s petition language, leading to a surge in support from all over Florida. Reaching the culmination of years of grassroots efforts, the coalition collected close to a million petition signatures, crossing the threshold needed to get the constitutional amendment on the 2018 ballot.

Amendment 4 Passes

With the necessary petitions gathered, FRRC’s voting rights restoration amendment was certified and received a ballot number: Amendment 4. In November, 64 percent of Floridians voted to restore voting rights to 1.4 million people, surpassing the 60 percent supermajority required to pass ballot initiatives in Florida. The victorious passing of Amendment 4 represented the single largest expansion of voting rights in the United States in half a century. It brought an end to 150 years of Jim Crow-era law in Florida.

The Lifetime Ban on Returning Citizen Voting Ends

FRRC’s Amendment 4 was written into Florida’s constitution, ending the lifetime ban on voting for people with past convictions. The Florida state legislature responded to the passage of Amendment 4 by passing SB 7066, requiring returning citizens to pay back all fees and fines resulting from their convictions before being able to register to vote, effectively disqualifying over 750,000 Floridians from voting until their court costs and fines and fees are paid. Undeterred, the FRRC went to work crowdfunding to pay the fines and fees of those impacted by SB 7066.

Time Magazine named Desmond Meade one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2019. His work on the passage of Amendment 4 also led to the title of Floridian of the Year 2019.

FRRC Raises $30 Million to Remove Financial Barriers to Voting

FRRC raised more than $30 million for the Fines & Fees Program. The FRRC used the money to help break down barriers to voting for 40,000+ people who owed fines and fees.

More than 190,000 Floridians convicted of felonies were registered to vote in November’s election. FRRC ran a robust GOTV program in 27 Florida counties.

During the pandemic, FRRC visited dozens of jails, homeless shelters, and prisons, distributing masks and PPE for officers and incarcerated residents at specific facilities. FRRC distributed more than one million masks and 500,000 ounces of sanitizer by the end of the pandemic.

That summer, the FRRC hosted “A Ride for Racial Justice,” a ride across the state to protest police brutality & encourage the motorcycle community to register to vote.

FRRC Works to Reform the Florida Clemency Board

FRRC led the successful effort to reform the state’s civil rights restoration process through the Florida Clemency Board, which consisted of Governor DeSantis, Attorney General Moody, Chief Financial Officer Patronis, and Commissioner of Agriculture Fried. These reforms included the reversal of former Governor Rick Scott’s seven-year and five-year-long waiting period to apply for rights restoration before people with past convictions could even apply.

FRRC also worked with the coalitions that lowered the felony threshold in the state, enacted probation reforms, and successfully advocated for legislation to improve record clearing for over 26,000 juveniles who completed a diversion program.

Between 2019-2021, FRRC helped register over 100,000 voters.

We Continue Advancing Our Policy Priorities

FRRC has worked with artists, celebrities, athletes, CEOs, community leaders, partner organizations, and legislators to help remove barriers to economic mobility and democracy for people impacted by the criminal legal system. We continue to seek new and innovative ways to transform how people with records are viewed by society and how we view ourselves. Our immediate goal is to build grassroots power in every region of the state and beyond.

Our First Full Year

In its first full year as an official organization, with Desmond Meade at the helm as President, members of the FRRC traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for returning citizens at a Congressional briefing about the Democracy Restoration Act (DRA). Had it become law, the DRA would have given four million disenfranchised Americans the right to participate in federal elections.

FRRC Launches Ballot Initiative

In 2013, FRRC turned its focus to launching a ballot initiative to put voting rights restoration in front of Florida voters. This meant galvanizing support around the state and building a diverse coalition. FRRC held a protest march to State Attorney Pam Bondi’s office, who’d spent years tightening restrictions on voting rights for returning citizens, along with Governor Rick Scott.

FRRC Testifies at the U.N.

In March, members of FRRC testified in front of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights, detailing how restrictions on voting rights in the U.S., including rights restoration restrictions passed by the Florida Board of Executive Clemency in 2011, violate the international rights agreement. FRRC coordinated a historic first meeting in Washington, D.C., between the White House and formerly incarcerated people. Later in the year, rather than a traditional convening, the FRRC met in Tallahassee for a day of action to attend a clemency hearing.

FRRC Builds Support for Amendment 4

The building of grassroots efforts to support our ballot initiative was underway. Members of FRRC were spreading our message from churches to civil rights workshops to local podcasts and voting rights events throughout the state. The top priority that year: petition collection for the ballot initiative that would become known as Amendment 4.

Our Dedication Strengthens

With a PO Box and a living room to gather petitions, FRRC remained dedicated to collecting the petitions for our ballot initiative. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of disen­fran­chised Flor­idi­ans grew by nearly 150,000 to an estim­ated total of 1,686,000, including more than 1 in 5 of Flor­id­a’s Black voting-age popu­la­tion.

FRRC Collects One Million Signatures

In a levy-breaking moment for the movement, the Florida Supreme Court approved FRRC’s petition language, leading to a surge in support from all over Florida. Reaching the culmination of years of grassroots efforts, the coalition collected close to a million petition signatures, crossing the threshold needed to get the constitutional amendment on the 2018 ballot.

Amendment 4 Passes

With the necessary petitions gathered, FRRC’s voting rights restoration amendment was certified and received a ballot number: Amendment 4. In November, 64 percent of Floridians voted to restore voting rights to 1.4 million people, surpassing the 60 percent supermajority required to pass ballot initiatives in Florida. The victorious passing of Amendment 4 represented the single largest expansion of voting rights in the United States in half a century. It brought an end to 150 years of Jim Crow-era law in Florida.

The Lifetime Ban on Returning Citizen Voting Ends

FRRC’s Amendment 4 was written into Florida’s constitution, ending the lifetime ban on voting for people with past convictions. The Florida state legislature responded to the passage of Amendment 4 by passing SB 7066, requiring returning citizens to pay back all fees and fines resulting from their convictions before being able to register to vote, effectively disqualifying over 750,000 Floridians from voting until their court costs and fines and fees are paid. Undeterred, the FRRC went to work crowdfunding to pay the fines and fees of those impacted by SB 7066.

Time Magazine named Desmond Meade one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2019. His work on the passage of Amendment 4 also led to the title of Floridian of the Year 2019.

FRRC Raises $30 Million to Remove Financial Barriers to Voting

FRRC raised more than $30 million for the Fines & Fees Program. The FRRC used the money to help break down barriers to voting for 40,000+ people who owed fines and fees.

More than 190,000 Floridians convicted of felonies were registered to vote in November’s election. FRRC ran a robust GOTV program in 27 Florida counties.

During the pandemic, FRRC visited dozens of jails, homeless shelters, and prisons, distributing masks and PPE for officers and incarcerated residents at specific facilities. FRRC distributed more than one million masks and 500,000 ounces of sanitizer by the end of the pandemic.

That summer, the FRRC hosted “A Ride for Racial Justice,” a ride across the state to protest police brutality & encourage the motorcycle community to register to vote.

FRRC Works to Reform the Florida Clemency Board

FRRC led the successful effort to reform the state’s civil rights restoration process through the Florida Clemency Board, which consisted of Governor DeSantis, Attorney General Moody, Chief Financial Officer Patronis, and Commissioner of Agriculture Fried. These reforms included the reversal of former Governor Rick Scott’s seven-year and five-year-long waiting period to apply for rights restoration before people with past convictions could even apply.

FRRC also worked with the coalitions that lowered the felony threshold in the state, enacted probation reforms, and successfully advocated for legislation to improve record clearing for over 26,000 juveniles who completed a diversion program.

Between 2019-2021, FRRC helped register over 100,000 voters.

We Continue Advancing Our Policy Priorities

FRRC has worked with artists, celebrities, athletes, CEOs, community leaders, partner organizations, and legislators to help remove barriers to economic mobility and democracy for people impacted by the criminal legal system. We continue to seek new and innovative ways to transform how people with records are viewed by society and how we view ourselves. Our immediate goal is to build grassroots power in every region of the state and beyond.