美国国家公共电台 NPR Florida Voting Rights Law Has Rocky Rollout For Felons

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In Florida, it used to be that someone who convicted a felony could never again vote - a lifetime ban. One year ago, though, a new constitutional amendment² ended the ban. Then, though, the State Legislature put up a roadblock. They passed legislation requiring former felons³ to pay all their fines and fees before they could cast any vote.

Danny Rivero from member station WLRN reports there is a workaround to those rules, but it's being implemented⁴ only in Democratic parts of the state.

DANNY RIVERO, BYLINE⁵: There are 17 people here on the docket in a Miami courtroom, and every one of them is waiting to get their voting rights restored.

(APPLAUSE)

CYNTHIA CRAY: I feel excited about moving forward in life.

RIVERO: Cynthia Cray just got her voting rights back. She hasn't been able to cast a ballot⁶ since she was convicted of a felony 10 years ago. And she signed up to vote on the spot.

CRAY: I've been a convicted felon¹ for so long, and we got Donald Trump⁷ in the presidency⁸. We can't keep having that foolishness. I vote 'cause I don't want another Trump.

RIVERO: Scenes like this are taking place in Democratic strongholds around Florida. Cynthia Cray and the others in the courtroom technically⁹ haven't finished their court sentences as required under the new state law. But that law also lets courts declare someone's sentence complete, no matter whether they still owe money or community service time.

Here in Miami, prosecutors¹⁰, public defenders¹² and the local judges, who are all elected, agreed to work together to restore voting rights. Carlos Martinez is the top public defender¹¹ in Miami-Dade County.

CARLOS MARTINEZ: We are following the plain language of the statute¹³. And the plain language of the statute, as it is implemented in Miami-Dade County, will mean that the overwhelming majority of people who have felony convictions will qualify under this process.

RIVERO: Volunteer attorneys are fielding calls to help people with felonies take their cases through the system. Martinez says this could mean lots of new voters.

MARTINEZ: The estimate for Miami-Dade County is that there are about 150,000 people that will qualify under this process.

RIVERO: Miami-Dade County is one of just four counties with a new program to streamline¹⁴ the process of restoring voting rights. Those four counties include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Tampa - more than a third of Florida's population. And they're all heavily Democratic in a key state for this year's presidential election.

KATHRYN DEPALO-GOULD: I think the effect certainly could be dramatic.

RIVERO: Kathryn DePalo-Gould is a political science professor at Florida International University. She says Republicans could suffer politically if GOP-leaning counties don't start speeding up the process of restoring voting rights.

DEPALO-GOULD: If they're missing out on those votes - you know, we have very close elections in the state of Florida - this could mean a huge difference going into 2020.

RIVERO: In fact, the law's author is frustrated¹⁵ that Republican parts of the state aren't doing more to restore voting rights. Jamie Grant is a Republican state representative from Tampa.

JAMIE GRANT: Yeah. I mean, I didn't create the waivers not to be used.

RIVERO: When Grant wrote the state law that made paying off fees and fines a condition for getting voting rights back, some activists¹⁶ called it a poll tax and claimed he wanted to keep people from voting.

GRANT: If I'm trying to suppress the vote and if I am Jim Crow Jamie, why did I create the waivers the Democrats¹⁷ are turning around and using? Which one is it? If the effect of what I passed switched the state blue, so be it. I'm good with that. I did my job.

RIVERO: The programs across the four participating counties are still in their infancy¹⁸, but all four plan to be very active between now and the election in November.

For NPR News, I'm Danny Rivero in Miami.

(SOUNDBITE OF KIKAGAKU MOYO SONG, "SMOKE AND MIRRORS")

1 felon   

n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的

参考例句：

• He's a convicted felon.他是个已定罪的重犯。
• Hitler's early "successes" were only the startling depredations of a resolute felon.希特勒的早期“胜利 ”，只不过是一个死心塌地的恶棍出人意料地抢掠得手而已。

2 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

3 felons   

n.重罪犯( felon的名词复数 )；瘭疽；甲沟炎；指头脓炎

参考例句：

• Aren't those the seats they use for transporting convicted felons? 这些坐位不是他们用来押运重犯的吗？ 来自电影对白
• House Republicans talk of making felons out of the undocumented and those who help them. 众议院共和党议员正商议对未登记的非法移民以及包庇他们的人课以重罪。 来自互联网

4 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 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。

7 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

10 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

11 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

12 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

14 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

15 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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》

18 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。