1999 College graduate John Legend tweeted that Florida's passage of an amendment to restore the voting rights of approximately 1.5 million convicted felons was “wonderful news" on Tuesday night. Legend reportedly also knocked on doors in the Orlando area leading up to election day to get out the vote, The Tampa Bay Times reported.
Amendment 4 restores the voting rights of most convicted felons who have completed their sentences, with the exception of those convicted of murder or sex crimes. Florida was previously one of three remaining states to bar felons from voting even after completing their sentences; Iowa and Kentucky still do not allow felons to vote.
The amendment garnered bipartisan support in the state, with interest groups ranging from the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union to conservative donors like the Koch Brothers backing the initiative.
Legend’s advocacy is the latest step in a history of supporting criminal justice reform. In 2017, Legend was named an advisory board member at the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at Penn Law. The 10-time Grammy award winner also launched a campaign called Free America to promote the issue in 2014.
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