Manatee elections supervisor Bennett removed ‘dozens’ of felons from voter rolls
When Florida voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 4, Manatee County Supervisor Elections Michael Bennett said he had no problem with registering ex-felons to vote.
But when the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring the full payment of court fees, the local elections official was among the first in the state to begin removing voters from the rolls, a federal lawsuit alleges.
“It’s a curious situation,” said Bob McCaa, a Democrat activist who volunteers with Turning Points and began registering ex-felons after 2018’s vote. “I always thought Mike Bennett was a friend for getting their voting rights back, but apparently he’s saying he was the first one to begin removing returning citizens from voter registrations.”
“Maybe you could say he was toeing the line, but it sounds like he was first in line to toe the line,” he added.
Bennett defended his actions in an interview with the Bradenton Herald, noting that Florida’s secretary of state provided little guidance on the matter.
“I don’t think we acted too fast. We followed the law,” he said. “Whatever the law is, the law is. I don’t have an ax to grind one way or another. If they came back and said restitution doesn’t count, and your prison sentence is all that’s necessary, I’d implement every one of the folks we removed.”
On May 1, Bennett testified during a federal trial on the post-Amendment 4 law that his office removed “dozens” of voters from the rolls after DeSantis approved the law requiring ex-felons to pay legal fees and fines before they’re allowed to vote again. Each voter was sent a letter detailing their outstanding obligation.
For many ex-felons who struggle to find work against the weight of a previous conviction, the fines are impossible to pay.
“It’s a poll tax,” McCaa argued.
Depending on the crime, Bennett explained, some restitution fees just can’t be paid. He also said he believes every person should be able to vote regardless of legal fees but insists he was following the law the way it was written.
“My problem is that the fines and fees should be a civil case, not a criminal case,” said Bennett. “If the court wants to hire a bill collection agency, they should, but that shouldn’t interfere with anyone’s right to vote.”
