Billionaire Michael Bloomberg continues in his push for the election of Democratic president nominee Joe Biden by spending more than $16 million in order to pay for the fines of Floridian felons who have served their time in prison in order for them to regain the right to vote. This amount was estimated by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition after Bloomberg paid the fines for 32,000 felons.
Former felons recently earned the right to vote in Florida after state voters approved the idea in a 2018 referendum. The law written by Republican state lawmakers required the felons to pay all fines and restitution owed to the Florida government. The law was challenged in court by Democrats, but the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law last week. The amount of money owed per felon can sometimes reach up to $1,000.
“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and no American should be denied that right,” a spokesperson for Bloomberg told Axios. The cause of paying off Floridian felons’ fines has also been championed by several television networks, including MTV and Comedy Central.
Bloomberg, despite dropping out of the Democratic primary in March, has been generously supporting Biden. The former New York City mayor recently announced that he will spend over $100 million to help Biden win Florida alone.
