Notice

 

Washington County, FL – Amendment 4, the Voting Restoration Amendment recently approved by Florida voters, goes into effect on January 8th, 2019. Washington County Supervisor of Elections Carol F. Rudd will be registering new voters, including former convicted felons who are eligible to vote, at that time.

Most convicted felons who have completed their sentences, including parole and probation, are eligible and will have their voting rights automatically restored on January 8th. However, those convicted of murder or sexual offenses are not able to register to vote unless the Governor and Cabinet vote to restore their voting rights on case-by-case review.

Voters previously removed from the voting rolls due to losing their voting rights must re-register to vote once their voting rights are restored.

Our office encourages individuals who may be unsure of their voting rights status to contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller in the county where they were sentenced or the Florida Department of Corrections where supervised or incarcerated. Additionally, individuals may search or apply for Restoration of Civil Rights through the Florida Commission on Offender Review, Office of Executive Clemency.

The Washington County Supervisor of Elections office will continue voter education efforts and work with community groups and third party voter registration organizations to encourage and assist newly eligible individuals to register to vote. For more information, contact us at (850) 638-6230.


Restoration of Civil Rights

The Clerk of the Circuit Court provides a list of persons that have been convicted of a felony or a case file of a convicted felon is provided by the Department of State. In either case a letter of notification is sent to each individual who is registered to vote. The letter explains how to obtain the restoration of civil rights as well as an affirmation to deny or appeal the information that was obtained. F.S. 98.075(5)

Once the letter is mailed to the individual, the individual has 30 days to respond by telephone or by signed returned affirmation. If no contact is attempted by the individual, the name and last known address of the individual is published in the local newspaper. The individual has 30 days to respond to the Supervisor of Elections. If no response is made from the individual from the published newspaper notice, then the person is removed from the voter registration books. F.S. 98.075(7)

If a voter is removed due to a felony conviction and they would like to restore their voting rights they may contact the Office of Executive Clemency at 850-488-2952.

If a voter believes that they have been erroneously removed from the voter registration books, they may contact Carol Finch Rudd at the Supervisor of Elections office at 638-6230.

Links that may be helpful to individuals inquiring about Civil Rights Restoration:

How can I apply to have my civil rights restored?

To apply for restoration of civil rights, you may visit:https://fpc.state.fl.us/RCRapp.htm

How do I check the status of my civil rights restoration paperwork?

To check the status of restoration of civil rights, you may visit:
https://fpcweb.fpc.state.fl.us/default.aspx

What is the process to have my civil rights restored?

To review the process for restoration of civil rights, you may visit:
https://fpc.state.fl.us/Policies/ExecClemency/newrcrprocess.pdf

I have more questions about Clemency, where do I go?

More questions and answers are available at:
https://fpc.state.fl.us/FAQClemency.htm

 

 

TheWashington County Supervisor of Elections office is a public entity subject to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes concerning public records. E-mail messages are covered under such laws and arethus subject to disclosure. Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.