美国国家公共电台 NPR--Advocates in Florida clamor for a fix for the formerly incarcerated who want to vote

Advocates in Florida clamor for a fix for the formerly¹ incarcerated² who want to vote

Transcript³

Nearly a million Floridians who have finished prison time for a felony remain disenfranchised despite a 2018 ballot⁴ measure that promised to restore their voting rights.

And as this year's legislative⁵ session wraps up, advocates say Florida lawmakers still haven't done anything to provide clarity for the formerly incarcerated who want to regain⁶ their rights.

The reason so many people remain disenfranchised stems from rules Republicans added after voters approved that ballot measure. In 2019, legislators passed a law requiring returning citizens to pay all the fees and fines associated with their sentence before they can vote again.

But lawmakers never created a system to find out who owes what, says Fentrice Driskell, the Democratic leader of the Florida House.

"We have been asking for a database," she said. "Just let people know whether or not they have fines and fees. Let them know how to pay for them. Let them know whether or not they are eligible⁷ to register to vote."

Driskell says issues around voting eligibility⁸ for the formerly incarcerated came to a head last year when the state's newly created election crimes unit announced a slew⁹ of voter fraud arrests.

"We all watched in horror as Gov. [Ron] DeSantis had 20 people arrested," she said. "He had returning citizens who believed that they had registered to vote in a valid¹⁰ way ... he had them arrested."

Those 20 individuals weren't eligible to vote because they had been convicted of murder or sexual assault, which exempted¹¹ them from getting their rights back even if they paid their fees and fines.

But despite that, most of them were given voter registration¹² cards. Local election officials said they were relying on the state to make sure voters were eligible.

Attorneys representing defendants¹³ in these cases have accused the state of entrapping¹⁴ these voters by having a system that allowed them to get a voter registration card.

Roger Weeden, who is representing two individuals charged with alleged¹⁵ voter fraud, told NPR in December that the state could have created a system where local election officials and formerly incarcerated people could see if they're eligible to vote.

"The government shouldn't be able to prosecute¹⁶ cases in which they are almost co-conspirators by sending the registration cards and allowing them to vote," Weeden said.

Abdelilah Skhir, a voting rights policy strategist with the ACLU of Florida, says these arrests have had a chilling effect on anyone with a past conviction.

"People who may have questions around their eligibility don't want to take that risk," he said. "They do the mental calculus¹⁷ and they figure, 'I can either vote and risk getting arrested, or I can just not vote.' "

Skhir says it is clearly the state's responsibility to determine who can vote and who cannot.

Florida lawmakers, however, have decided¹⁸ that for now it's up to voters.

Last week, lawmakers sent Senate Bill 7050 to DeSantis. The legislation would add language to voter registration cards saying: "This card is proof of registration but is not legal verification of eligibility to vote."

The card would say that it is for "information purposes only" and that "[it] is the responsibility of a voter to keep his or her eligibility status current."

Neil Volz — who's with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition¹⁹, a group that's been pushing the state to create a database — says SB 7050 is a step "in the wrong direction" and can ultimately cause even more confusion.

"It's almost like going into the DMV and getting a driver's license²⁰ and then being told you can't drive," Volz said. "This bill symbolizes²¹ an abandonment of responsibility by the state to do its job and actually fix our broken system."

It's almost like going into the DMV and getting a driver's license and then being told you can't drive.

Neil Volz, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition

Volz says he believes lawmakers simply haven't made this issue a priority — even though both Republicans and Democrats²² agree the murkiness²³ around who can vote is a problem.

Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd — a DeSantis appointee — has urged returning citizens to contact his office to determine their eligibility. Advocates say, however, that process often takes months.

Byrd also told lawmakers last month that he thinks a database is a good idea.

"I would love to see a statewide database," he said. "It is beyond my technical ability to explain how that works because you have many different entities²⁴."

Byrd said the state would have to come up with a system that houses and transfers information between law enforcement agencies, courts and local election offices across the state. He said it is more complicated than it sounds because all these agencies store and code their data differently.

"I can envision a day that the state of Florida takes the lead and has one centralized way that we can do this, but until that day comes we have to continue to do it the way we are doing it," Byrd said.

And that means the responsibility will stay with voters.

Lawmakers also recently gave more legal authority to a state prosecutor²⁵ focused on charging people who vote illegally. So, if voters are unsure whether they can vote, the stakes for getting it wrong are about to get higher. 

1 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

2 incarcerated   

钳闭的

参考例句：

• They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
• I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

5 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

6 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

7 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

8 eligibility   

n.合格，资格

参考例句：

• What are the eligibility requirements? 病人被选参加试验的要求是什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
• Eligibility for HINARI access is based on gross national income (GNI). 进入HINARI获取计划是依据国民总收入来评定的。

9 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

10 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

11 exempted   

使免除[豁免]( exempt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His bad eyesight exempted him from military service. 他因视力不好而免服兵役。
• Her illness exempted her from the examination. 她因病而免试。

12 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

13 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

14 entrapping   

v.使陷入圈套，使入陷阱( entrap的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Conclusion The matrine liposomes with high entrapping efficiency can be prepared by ammonium sulphate gradient method. 结论采用硫酸铵梯度法可制得包封率较高的苦参碱脂质体。 来自互联网

15 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

16 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

17 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

20 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

21 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 murkiness   

n.阴暗；混浊；可疑；黝暗

参考例句：

• There is a mass of murkiness which neither moonlight nor sunlight can penetrate. 日月无光。 来自辞典例句
• Ms Munro comes from southern Ontario, an area of considerable psychic murkiness and oddity. 芒罗女士(MsMunro)来自南安大略，一个奇特古怪的地方。 来自互联网

24 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

25 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。