ACLU sinks $400,000 into felons’ rights amendment

Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would restore felons' rights raised about $548,000 in December, with $400,000 coming from the American Civil Liberties Union, according to a newly filed finance report.

The political committee Floridians for a Fair Democracy, led by Desmond Meade, is trying to get the measure on the November ballot. It has raised about $4.6 million and spent nearly $4.3 million since being formed in 2014.

The committee needs to submit 766,200 valid petition signatures to the state by a Feb. 1 deadline to get on the ballot.

As of Thursday afternoon, it had submitted 692,134 signatures, according to the state Division of Elections website.

The proposal, if approved in November, would automatically restore voting rights for all nonviolent felons who have served their sentences, completed parole or probation and paid restitution. Felons convicted of violent crimes, such as murder, would not be eligible.