Currents
November 2018
> continued from page 3
rests with both the Legislature and voters.
In effect, this would prevent the Legislature from
passing laws to expand gambling or put an amend-
ment on the ballot to do so, putting the power of
bringing more casino gambling on residents. How-
ever, voters in one part of the state could decide who
should get casinos for others. And this would benefit
larger companies that have the resources to gather
hundreds of thousands signature needed for a refer-
endum, for or against.
But those who oppose casi-
nos, like this Editorial Board, have
come out strong in support of
Amendment 3. They include the
League of Women Voters, No
Casinos, the Fontainebleau hotel,
plus the Walt Disney Co. and the
casino-operating Seminole Tribe.
AMENDMENT 4: VOTE YES
Voting Restoration Amend-
ment: This is the most transfor-
mative amendment on the ballot.
If approved, 1.6 million Floridians
— former prisoners — would
have their voting rights restored
after they finish their sentences.
Ideally, they would not have to
wait five years to apply to the
state; they would not be sub-
jected to a Clemency Board hear-
ing.
We’ll be blunt: It is a decades-
old voter suppression tactic,
rooted in Jim Crow laws to keep
African Americans disenfran-
chised. In the 21st century, unfor-
tunately, it remains not a forgotten
relic, but a persistent reality. Gov.
Rick Scott and the Cabinet make
up the Clemency Board, and for
eight years they have been
staunchly opposed to automatic
restoration.
In February, Judge Mark
Walker, appalled at the arbitrary
and discriminatory nature of the
continued on page 6 >
5