A Message from FRRC Executive Director Desmond Meade
The fate of the world is at stake. We are gearing up for the most important election of our lifetime. There is an ongoing fight to save democracy and the world — and Florida is at the center.
For the sake of our communities and everything we hold dear as American citizens, we must ensure that democracy wins this election. How do we win, you ask? We win when we get people like me and people who historically haven’t voted to show up at the polls. We win with Florida.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) is at the epicenter of making that happen. Elections in Florida are usually decided by 100,000 votes, and now, thanks to Amendment 4, hundreds of thousands of returning citizens (formerly convicted persons) will cover that gap. FRRC is the only organization in the state that has an authentic relationship with the 1.4 million returning citizens whose voting rights were restored.
As we’ve seen with COVID-19 and even with the recent cases of police brutality against Black men and women, voting is the difference between life and death. All across the state, people are starting to understand the importance of state attorney and sheriff elections — and how these roles impact their communities.
On the local level, we need to usher in new sheriffs and state attorneys who will put people over politics. Nationally, we need to elect leaders who will tip the scales of justice in favor of doing what is right. We have a small window of opportunity.
FRRC has ramped up our voter registration efforts and we’ve been working diligently to get as many returning citizens registered to vote as possible by the July 20 deadline for the primary election. If we can get people to vote in August, they will vote again in November.
In addition, we have already begun to focus our attention on the upcoming October 5 deadline for the general election.
We also have our Fines and Fees Program to assist our returning citizens. One of the greatest barriers to a returning citizen’s freedoms is the financial burden endured beyond paying their debt to society. Our goal is to assist as many returning citizens with a successful reentry into society.
We have an unprecedented opportunity before us and could use your support. Help us amplify our voter registration efforts. Help us ensure that every returning citizen in the state of Florida who is eligible to vote can make his/ her voice heard. Help us change the world.
In solidarity,
Desmond Meade
