Amendment 4, a ballot proposal that would have enshrined abortion rights in the Florida Constitution, failed Tuesday, giving a major political victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis — and dealing a huge blow to abortion-rights supporters.

Abortion rights advocates prevailed in ballot measures in seven states, but that doesn't resolve the issue.

Two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the future of abortion rights in Florida is expected to be decided Tuesday.

There are six amendments on the ballot that Florida voters will decide on for the November election.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday again held an event to campaign against Amendment 4 alongside a handful of Florida doctors at a Jacksonville church.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is focusing his official office on fighting an abortion rights amendment.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Coral Gables on Monday morning.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday morning held a news conference along with Florida doctors who are urging people to vote “no” on Amendment 4, which involves abortion rights.

The Florida Department of Health is barred from going after local television stations for airing a pro abortion rights ad.

The fight over Amendment 4 in Florida is heating up with the election only three weeks away.

The abortion battle is intensifying in Florida with Amendment 4 supporters saying Gov. Ron DeSantis is engaging in government overreach and breaking the law by tapping into taxpayer-funded resources to fight the November ballot initiative. Also, is Florida in play for Kamala Harris? And the three key states that could put Donald Trump back in the White House.

Florida doctors today speaking out against Florida’s law restricting abortions after six weeks, calling it a near total abortion ban.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday is set to hold an education-related news conference in Orlando.

Civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration Thursday alleging it is using a website and ads to spread “misinformation” about the amendment on abortion rights.

Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment that would overrule Florida’s six-week abortion ban say they are now planning to sue, accusing a state health agency of illegally using taxpayer money to push a political agenda.

Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing back against allegations that the state government is illegally using its platform to influence voters on Amendment 4, which would expand voting access in Florida.

State police are showing up at Florida voters’ homes to question them about signing a petition to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November.

With the six-week abortion ban now in effect in Florida, younger voters are looking forward to heading to polls in November to make their voices heard on Amendment 4, which would either approve or deny the constitutional right to abortion.

Dozens of people in favor of abortion rights rallied in front of the Duval County courthouse Saturday to sound the alarm and push for people to vote “yes” on Amendment 4 in November, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.

A Jacksonville man is headed to jail for voter fraud. Marc Crump is a convicted felon who was arrested in April and charged with false voter registration and election fraud.

Ben Frazier has been a vocal advocate with the Jacksonville-based Northside Coalition for years, spearheading numerous causes. These include the push to remove Confederate monuments from public spaces and the passage of Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to Florida’s former felons. “Since the passage of Amendment 4, I felt a tremendous energizing power that it was now my time,” Frazier said. Frazier regrets not voting years ago before trouble with the law took his rights away. “There are a number of people out there who have never voted,” Frazier said.

FILE - In this July 26, 2020, file photo, mourners gathered at the Alabama Capitol following the death of Rep. John Lewis. Alabama voters will decide whether to remove racist, segregation-era language from the state's 1901 Constitution in the upcoming election. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett, File)BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama voters once again have the chance to remove the racist language of Jim Crow from the state's constitution, which was approved in 1901 to enshrine white supremacy as state law. Voters in neighboring Mississippi will decide on a replacement for the Confederate-themed state flag, and Rhode Island voters will decide whether to remove a reference to plantations from the state's official name. Two decades ago, Alabama voters voted to repeal an unenforceable section of the constitution that made it illegal for Black and white people to marry.

But just a fraction of the so-called “returning citizens” targeted by the measure will be able to participate in the Nov. 3 presidential election. “The Legislature purposely set up a system that was designed for voter suppression, and it has worked,” Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, a former Democratic state senator, told The News Service of Florida. The 11th Circuit’s decision means that felons must clear up financial obligations to be legally eligible to register and vote. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition has amassed more than $23 million for its “Fines and Fees” fund aimed at zeroing out felons' financial obligations. It’s unclear, however, how many felons have registered to vote since the amendment went into effect in January 2019.

– Likely lead to a marked reduction in the number of future amendments added to the constitution– Delay enactment of voter approved changes to the Florida Constitution– Add considerable time and money needed by citizen groups to successfully pass voter driven initiatives– Provide corporate interests a second chance to defeat publicly popular amendments that initially pass– Limit voters’ ability to amend their constitution and to act as a check on the Legislature when it fails to pass laws that are important to citizens or when it passes laws that are unfavorable– Retain a less restrictive process for citizens to bypass the Legislature by amending the constitution through direct democracy– Maintain existing pathways for citizens to amend their constitution with approval of 60% of all voters in a single General Election

DeSantis and Patronis on Wednesday blocked Meade’s request for a pardon, with DeSantis saying the panel should take the issue “under advisement” until it can gather more information. The state’s labyrinthine and years-long clemency process prompted Meade and other advocates to initiate the constitutional amendment, which enabled Meade to cast a ballot in last month’s primary elections. Meade said his focus is on getting his rights restored in Florida, as a pardon would restore rights such as being able to serve on juries and have firearms. Critics have condemned the state’s clemency process as a remnant of Jim Crow-era laws designed to keep Black people from voting. The number is a stark contrast to more than 155,000 felons who had their rights restored under an “automatic” process initiated by Scott’s predecessor, former Gov.

The former Democratic presidential candidate has helped raise more than $20 million so that felons who completed their prison sentences can vote in the presidential election. Bloomberg also has pledged $100 million to help Joe Biden win Florida. Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it,” Bloomberg said in a written statement. The Florida Rights Restitution Coalition had raised about $5 million before Bloomberg made calls to raise almost $17 million more, according to Bloomberg staffers. ____This version corrects the name of the group to Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

The former Democratic presidential candidate has helped raise more than $20 million so that felons who completed their prison sentences can vote in the presidential election. Bloomberg also has pledged $100 million to help Joe Biden win Florida. Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it,” Bloomberg said in a written statement. The Florida Rights Restitution Coalition had raised about $5 million before Bloomberg made calls to raise almost $17 million more, according to Bloomberg staffers. ____This version corrects the name of the group to Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

In 1992, voters approved Save Our Homes, which caps tax increases at 3 percent on homesteads and saves homeowners about $5 billion a year. Voters have also approved approved citizen initiatives that include term limits, stopping workplace smoking, limiting class sizes, drawing legislative districts fairly, conserving water and land, medical marijuana and giving nonviolent felons the right to vote again. But any future amendments could be be stifled by Amendment Four on November’s ballot. The amendment would require voters to approve amendments twice, two years apart, before they become law. “So having it go before the voters twice is saying, are your sure?

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Florida felons must pay all fines, restitution and legal fees before they can regain their right to vote, a federal appellate court ruled Friday in a case that could have broad implications for the November elections. Reversing a lower court judge's decision that gave Florida felons the right to vote regardless of outstanding legal obligations, the order from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was a disappointment to voting rights activists and upheld the position of Republican Gov. Under Amendment 4, which Florida voter passed overwhelmingly in 2018, felons who have completed their sentences would have voting rights restored. In addition to prison time served, lawmakers stipulated that all legal financial obligations, including unpaid fines and restitution, would also have to be settled before a felon could be eligible to vote.

He and GOP lawmakers say that to regain the right to vote, felons must not only serve their time but also pay all fines and other legal financial obligations. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday could be consequential because of the razor-thin margins that sometimes decide election contests in Florida — a perennial battleground state. Voting rights groups immediately sued for a temporary injunction that would let felons continue registering to vote and cast ballots until the merits of the law can be fully adjudicated. He agreed with voter rights advocates that imposing the debt requirement on impoverished felons amounted to a poll tax. Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court issued a non-binding advisory opinion agreeing with the Republican governor.

After hearing testimony and arguments over two days, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle said the law created an "administrative nightmare.'' It was enacted despite a constitutional amendment overwhelmingly passed by voters last fall that restored the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete their sentences. With Florida's record as a key political battleground, the case's outcome -- and the outcomes of other Florida voting rights disputes -- will attract widespread interest as the nation gears up for the 2020 presidential elections. Voting rights advocates suggested that relying on the state clemency board would be too onerous and time consuming, and the panel might not be able to handle the volume of requests. An attorney for the Florida Secretary of State's Office, Mohammad Jazil, would examine the host of issues brought up by the judge.

Siding with plaintiffs last year, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker found the state's voting-restoration process violated First Amendment rights and 14th Amendment equal-protection rights of felons. But siding with the state clemency board, the Atlanta-based federal appeals court blocked Walker's order from going into effect while the case remained pending. In the court filings Friday, lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote that the felons "are now eligible to vote under Florida state law, so this appeal is moot." "Because it now appears that all plaintiffs have satisfied any outstanding legal financial obligations, they have regained their right to vote, and their challenge to the executive clemency procedure is now moot," the state's lawyers argued. The drawn-out clemency process was the primary reason behind the push for the constitutional amendment, which received support from more than 64 percent of Florida voters last fall.fNews Service of Florida

Ron DeSantis and his administration want a federal judge to put on hold a challenge to a state law carrying out a constitutional amendment that restored voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. The Republican governor and Secretary of State Laurel Lee on Tuesday asked U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle to put the federal lawsuit on hold until the Florida Supreme Court rules in a related case. Voting rights advocates and civil rights groups filed the federal challenge shortly after DeSantis signed into law a measure (SB 7066) that requires felons to pay "legal financial obligations," such as restitution, fines and fees, to be eligible to have their voting rights restored. The terms of sentence include financial obligations ordered by courts, the defendants maintain. If the amendment requires payment of financial obligations, that provision "can easily be severed" from the remainder of the amendment, the lawyers wrote.

The plaintiffs argued, among other things, that linking payment of financial obligations with voting rights amounts to an unconstitutional poll tax and discriminates on the basis of wealth. But lawyers for DeSantis and his administration asked U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle to dismiss the case, arguing that the dispute should be resolved in state --- not federal --- court. In the midst of the federal court fight, the governor asked the Florida Supreme Court to weigh in, hoping that the federal court would defer to the state court's interpretation of what Amendment 4 requires. If the amendment requires payment of financial obligations, that provision "can easily be severed" from the remainder of the amendment, the lawyers wrote. A federal court decided that, while the amendment could not limit the amount of time federal elected officials spent in office, the term limits affecting state legislators and Cabinet members could remain intact.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida hosted a meeting Thursday in Jacksonville, discussing plans to fight a new state law, which it says is a threat to Amendment 4. The Legislature passed the law this spring to carry out the November constitutional amendment designed to restore the voting rights of felons. Voting- and civil-rights groups, including the ACLU, went to federal court contending that the law improperly ties restoration of felons voting rights to their ability to pay financial obligations -- what critics of the law have described as a poll tax."They immediately set toward undermining and restricting Amendment 4. Now they talk about it in terms of implementing Amendment 4," said Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. ACLU attorney Jimmy Midyette also expressed concerns about racial disparity with the legislation (SB 7066), saying that African Americans are less likely to be freed of these financial obligations before getting back their voting rights.

The Daughter of Nelson Mandela receives a local award and talks about her father's legacy, plus Reggie Garcia on his push for change with Amendment 4.

Ron DeSantis signed an omnibus elections bill Friday, a coalition of voting-rights and civil-rights groups announced they had filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state's plan for carrying out a consitutional amendment designed to restore felons' voting rights. Under the bill, felons will have to repay all of their financial obligations before their voting rights are restored. I am considering whether to seek restoration of all civil rights to some of those whose rights were restored by Amendment 4. Amendment 4 restores -- without regard to the wishes of the victims -- voting rights to violent felons, including felons convicted of attempted murder, armed robbery and kidnapping, so long as those felons completed all terms of their sentences. Under the law, felons who registered to vote between Jan. 8 and July 1 but who havent fulfilled their financial obligations wont be prosecuted.

Ron DeSantis has until the end of Saturday to either sign, veto or allow legislation implementing the felons rights amendment become law without his signature. The most controversial aspect of the Amendment 4 implementing bill is that felons must first pay outstanding court fines and fees along with restitution before they become eligible for voting rights restoration. After the legislation passed, the governor said the fines, fees and restitution requirement has his support. If it's an uncertainty, they can go ahead and get registered because they think they're qualified, they're eligible again, they're not going to be prosecuted, said Earley. The bill does task the Department of State with creating a database to track fines and fees, but until thats complete, determining eligibility will be an ongoing issue.