Amendment 4 is a chance to finally right a wrong, a true injustice in our society. Amendment 4 is for the lost Floridians who have been disenfranchised not just from society, but from full and meaningful lives. Always, as Americans, we have believed that once you pay your debt, you can move on. What happened?
The brand of felon is a cost to the individual, the family and society. For the individual, it is a burden that shamefully closes doors to advanced education, career employment and the ability to provide well for families. For the full family, it is the economic burden and the need to constantly try to offer hope and justification that somehow life will get better, but really knowing that it never will. For society, it is the enormous cost of unengaged aimless men and women with no opportunity for self-sufficiency who depend on government subsidies, or often return to crime because there is no other way to survive with dignity.
Amendment 4 restores the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions if all terms of their sentence are completed, except for those convicted of murder or sexual assault. A vote to approve Amendment 4 is the first step to bringing these individuals who have paid for their past actions to move back into society. Amendment 4 is a good step and the right step for a compassionate community.
Martha Webster, Royal Palm Beach
