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- Trump is currently facing 91 felony charges in four different cases.
- Before 2019, he would've lost his right to vote if he was convicted on any of those charges.
- Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 to change that — and DeSantis opposed it.
Former President Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges across several different criminal cases in multiple different jurisdictions.
Trump's 91 felony charges include:
- 34 state charges in New York for falsifying business records in connection with the Stormy Daniels hush money payments.
- 40 federal charges in the Southern District of Florida for violating the Espionage Act, obstructing justice, and other charges related to his mishandling of classified documents.
- 4 federal charges in the District of Columbia for his attempts of overturn the 2020 election.
- 13 state charges in Georgia for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election in that state.
Until recently, he would have indefinitely lost his right to vote in Florida if he were convicted of even one of those charges. It would've then been up to the governor of Florida — a position currently held by one of his chief rivals, Ron DeSantis — to grant Trump clemency after he'd completed his sentence.
But that's no longer the case — thanks to the efforts of voting rights activists in the state.
In 2018, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 4, which restored the right to vote for approximately 1.5 million convicted felons in the state. Before that, Florida was just one of a handful of states that permanently disenfranchised all felons. The new law took effect in early 2019.
That effort was supported by Democrats in Florida, as well as a broad coalition that included the American Civil Liberties Union and even the conservative Koch Brothers.
But DeSantis opposed the measure, which passed during the same election where he was narrowly elected governor.
"I think it's wrong to automatically restore rights to felons who've committed very serious crimes," DeSantis said during a televised debate in 2018. "I want people to be redeemed. But you've got to prove that you're getting back with the law."
But while Trump won't face permanent disenfranchisement, his right to vote would still likely be restricted — albeit temporarily — if he's convicted on any felony counts.
That's because Florida, like the vast majority of other states, still prevents convicted felons from voting until after they've completed their sentences. That could include prison time, making voting rights the least of Trump's worries.
Additionally, DeSantis and Republican state legislators later made it harder for felons to regain their voting rights, including by requiring felons to repay outstanding court debts before their rights can be restored and by aggressively enforcing the law through arrests.
Florida also notably still does not automatically restore the voting rights of those convicting of murder or felony sexual assault.
And despite facing temporary disenfranchisement, Trump could continue to mount a presidential campaign from prison, as there are no laws barring convicted felons from receiving votes.