Stetson University College of Law will be working to create clinics to help returning citizens previously convicted of felonies get their voting rights restored.

The College of Law and Community Law Program received a $33,500 grant from the American Bar Endowment’s Opportunity Grant Program to create restoration clinics. Community Law Program, formed in 1989 out of the St. Petersburg Bar Association, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that offers an array of programs and services designed to ensure equal access to justice for all. 

In 2018, 65% of Floridians voted to amend the Florida Constitution to restore voting rights to 1.4 million citizens previously convicted of felonies (commonly referred to as “returning citizens”). Months later, the Florida Legislature passed Chapter 2019-162 Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 7066, requiring all financial obligations of returning citizens’ sentences be paid before they could vote. That meant only those returning citizens with enough money to pay financial obligations such as court fees, fines and restitution in full would be eligible to vote. 

In essence, the requirement eliminated access to justice and civic engagement for hundreds of thousands of low-income and indigent citizens.

Litigation is pending on the issue. In the meantime, according to Kimberly Rodgers, executive director for Community Law Program, returning citizens still need help reviewing their court records, determining what, if any, type of legal financial obligations are owed and whether it’s necessary for them to pay the legal financial obligations.

“When the law imposes barriers to a right as fundamental as the right to vote, and when those barriers disproportionately impact poor people, we had to get involved,” Rodgers said. “I’m so thankful to the American Bar Endowment for enabling our organization and Stetson to come together on this important work.”

To combat possible confusion around this issue, Community Law Program, with the help of students and faculty at the College of Law, has started a series of Restoration of Voting Rights Remote Clinics, serving nearby Pinellas County. CLP staff will recruit, train and support volunteer attorneys to host virtual clinics twice a month to review legal options with returning citizens interested in restoring their voting rights. 

“The effort to ensure the right to vote to all citizens in the state of Florida is crucial to ensuring a fair democracy in which all of our voices count,” said Stetson Law Professor Judith A. Scully. “To allow restrictions on a citizen’s right to vote is an affront not only to the individual’s civil and political rights, but it is an affront to the entire legal system. Our students and alumni attorneys who participate in this project will demonstrate Stetson’s commitment to equal justice. We are proud to be a part of the campaign to restore the voting rights of individuals who were previously incarcerated.”

Stetson Law selected four student fellows, who will support Community Law Program’s outreach efforts through assisting with intake, research, and outreach. The law students also will assist in recruiting, organizing and training other law student volunteers and community partners. Stetson faculty will help provide ethics training for volunteer attorneys and students regarding pro bono outreach efforts.

“The students have become community organizers and leaders on these important issues,” said Christine E. Cerniglia, Stetson Law professor and director of Clinical and Experiential Education. “This type of work is an opportunity to engage students in outreach outside of the classroom and for them to learn about community lawyering.”

Clinics will be every first and third Thursday of each month from 5-7 p.m. People may call Community Law Program at 727-582-7480 to schedule an appointment.

-Ashley McKnight-Taylor