Former President Trump’s guilty verdict in the hush-money trial makes him the first convicted felon to run for a major party nomination, but he will still be able to vote in his home state of Florida in November.
Each state has its own laws determining the eligibility of people who have been convicted of a felony to vote, but because Trump’s residency is in Florida and the hush money trial took place in New York, the laws of both Florida and New York are relevant in determining Trump’s eligibility to vote.
Defendants convicted in Florida must serve their full sentence, including prison time, probation, and parole, before Voting rights restoredThey will have to pay the full amount of restitution, fines and fees, according to the nonprofit U.S. Vote Foundation.
However, if a Florida resident is convicted of a felony in another state, the resident will be ineligible to vote if the conviction would disqualify him or her from voting in the state where the conviction occurred.
new york State law passed in 2021 According to the New York State Board of Elections, convicted felons in New York are only ineligible to vote while they are serving time in prison for a felony. Their voting rights are restored upon release from incarceration, even if they are on parole or under any form of post-release supervision.
If a felon is not incarcerated, his or her voting eligibility will not be suspended.
Even if Trump is convicted, he will likely appeal the decision, which would lead to a lengthy appeals process.
A spokesperson for the State Board of Elections told PolitiFact that felons who have had their sentences stayed pending appeals are: I won’t lose Eligibility to vote.
Trump’s sentence is scheduled for July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention, where he will officially become the Republican nominee. He could face prison time, but first-time offenders of the kind of crime for which Trump was convicted typically do not receive prison time.
Trump will only be disallowed from voting if he is serving time in prison during the election period.
The presumptive Republican nominee was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with payments made to keep his alleged affair secret in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
He is the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
