Getting ready for another Florida recount

We've heard plenty of talk about the vote of people with criminal records in the upcoming presidential election, and Florida has been in the eye of the storm. Last year, Gov. Charlie Crist announced a plan to ease the path to the voting booth for Floridians who have completed serving sentences for felony convictions. But the path is still tricky, and thousands of people with felony records are in limbo. Felons who have completed their sentences can't automatically vote, they have to apply for clemency.

More than 108,000 possible felons have registered, but the board of elections hasn't had time to review these applications. Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning said the overwhelming increase in registrations across the board has left his staff scrambling. It seems unlikely they will have all questions answered by Nov. 4.

"This is part of a big mess," said Jeff Manza, professor of sociology at New York University and author of a book on felon voting. "It's almost certain there will be challenges if the election is close enough that things hinge on this. Both parties are armed to the teeth with legal talent in all the battleground states."

Despite Crist's laudable efforts to invite people with criminal records back into the democratic process, this is unneeded red tape. Yesterday, I wrote about a federal bill, the Democracy Restoration Act, which would simplify things by allowing almost all people not in prison to vote in federal elections at least. Sign a petition here to tell your elected representatives that you support the DRA.

Other states - including Virginia and Pennsylvania - have expanded the rights of people with felonies to vote in recent years. Like the sharp increase in registration of young people, the increase in felon voting is expected to help Barack Obama, who is a co-sponsor of the DRA in the Senate. John McCain believes that felons should forfeit their rights and that the right to vote should be restored on a case-by-case basis, like in Florida.

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School, the ACLU and the Sentencing Project have been instrumental in educating voters about their rights across the country, and advocating for more inclusive voting laws. Read a report by the Brennan Center and ACLU - "De Facto Disenfranchisement" here.