The Florida Cabinet’s clemency hearing Tuesday brought out a group called Faith in Florida. The group’s Live Free campaign aims to restore the voting rights of former prisoners.
In the Capitol courtyard Tuesday, men and women wearing shirts or holding signs with the slogan ‘Let My People Vote’ signed their names to large cardboard letters made out to the state’s cabinet members. The Live Free campaign’s state director Desmond Meade says helping former convicts reintegrate in society isn’t just the right thing to do – it lowers recidivism, and helps people get back to work.
“So now we’re talking about less crime, more tax dollars being contributed, and then you have people that are actually enjoying what being an American citizen is all about: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Meade says.
Meade and the other participants traveled from Orlando to hold a silent protest during Tuesday’s clemency hearing before the Cabinet.
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