Lebron James’ organization More Than A Vote to donate $100,000 so felons in Florida can vote

An organization created by Lebron James and other Black athletes and artists is raising money for felons in Florida who are unable to vote in elections due to outstanding fines and fees.

More Than A Vote was created this year in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died of asphyxiation in Minneapolis when a white police officer knelt on his neck for an extended period of time. The organization is committed to “combating systemic, racist voter suppression.”

The organization’s main initiative right now is to get individuals who have completed felony sentences registered to vote ahead of the November presidential election. It’s donating $100,000 to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which pushed a significant amendment to Florida’s lifelong voting ban on people who have been convicted of felonies.

In November 2018, a majority of Florida voters -- 65% -- voted in favor of restoring voting rights for ex-felons not convicted of murder or sexual offenses after they complete their sentences, including parole or probation. The amendment, also called the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative, went into effect in January 2019.

In June 2019, Florida’s Republican governor, Rick DeSantis, signed into law an order that requires felons to pay back all fines and fees associated with their convictions before they can become eligible to vote. Sometimes, those payments amount to thousands of dollars. Some likened the order to a poll tax.

“That’s just distinguishing people’s right to vote based on their wealth,” American Civil Liberties Union staffer Julie Ebenstein said at the time.

A 2019 lawsuit against the order showed that about 80% of felons who have served their time have unpaid expenses that prevent them from voting, The New York Times reported.

According to More Than A Vote, one-third of the 1.4 million Florida felons are Black.

“The right to vote should not come with a price tag,” the organization wrote in a series of posts on social media. “That’s why More Than A Vote is supporting the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to help formerly incarcerated American citizens -- too many of them Black and brown -- pay off their outstanding fines and fees and register to vote in the 2020 election and beyond.”

“Your right to vote shouldn’t depend upon whether or not you can pay to exercise it,” said Udonis Haslem, James’ former teammate and current Miami Heat forward. Haslem is also a part of More Than A Vote.

Read more at Politico.com and donate to the FRRC Fines and Fees Fund here.

Cox Media Group