Not very many people in Florida like Governor Rick Scott, so we really didn't expect former democratic President Bill Clinton to like the guy much either. While speaking at a conference for young progressive activists in D.C. today, Clinton called out Scott's effort to strip voting rights from convicted felons and inferred that the move was racist and politically motivated.
"Why should we disenfranchise people forever once they've paid their price?" Clinton told the crowd about Scott's reforms. "Because most of them in Florida were African Americans and Hispanics who tended to vote for Democrats. That's why."
According to Politico, Clinton also called out similar initiatives in other states.
Back in March, Scott and his cabinet passed a rule that would require non-violent convicted felons to wait five years to apply to have their voting rights restored. Florida's felony disenfranchisement law dates back to the post-Civil War era when white politicians tried to limit the political impact of black voters.
During the terms of Republican Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist however those laws were eased. Non-violent felons had their rights immediately restores, and other convicted felons did not have to wait to apply to have their rights reinstated. Crist made headlines back in March when he reversed that recent history.
