A claim has been circulating on social media alleging that a felony conviction will bar Trump from voting in Florida.
An account on the platform X, named “Captain Obvious,” shared the claim and wrote, “In Florida, convicted felons are not allowed to vote. Trump just sent his mail-in ballot.”
Trump Becomes First U.S. President Convicted of Felony Crimes
On May 31, a New York jury found Donald Trump guilty of all 34 charges related to a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by paying hush money to a porn star who alleged they had a sexual encounter, making him the first former U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes.
Due to the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity, Trump’s attorneys sought to have the conviction overturned, delaying his sentencing for months.
Following the conviction, many believed that Trump, a Florida resident, would be barred from voting in the 2024 U.S. election due to the state’s strict felony disenfranchisement laws, which prevent over a million people from voting.
Trump Can Vote Despite His Felony Convictions
Trump may be disqualified from voting if he is incarcerated for felonies in New York at the time of the election or if he is convicted of a felony in another state, which would deprive him of his voting rights in that jurisdiction.
According to Florida law, a person convicted in another state may vote in Florida if they are eligible to vote in that state. Since he was convicted in a New York state court, his ability to vote in Florida is determined by New York law, which allows anyone not currently serving a jail sentence to vote.
According to the Florida Division of Elections, “A felony conviction in another state makes a person ineligible to vote in Florida only if the conviction would make the person ineligible to vote in the state where the person was convicted.”
Former President Donald Trump will not be punished in his New York criminal case until after the 2024 election, Judge Juan Merchan stated in September, noting that his decision to postpone sentencing is intended to avoid any appearance of influencing the outcome of the presidential campaign.
Merchan cited the forthcoming presidential election as one reason for delaying sentencing, stating that he wanted to avoid the appearance that the sentencing was designed to influence the November election.
"Adjourning the decision on the motion and sentencing, if such is required, should dispel any suggestion that the court will have issued any decision or imposed a sentence either to give an advantage to or create a disadvantage for any political party or any candidate for any office," according to Merchan.
Trump Sentencing Set for November 26 Amid Ongoing Legal Challenges
Merchan stated in a new four-page letter that he would sentence Trump on November 26, if necessary, three weeks after the 2024 presidential election. This follows a plea by Trump's lawyers to postpone the sentencing.
On Wednesday, August 14, Trump voted early in the Florida Republican primary at a polling station near his Palm Beach property.
Trump is also facing three additional criminal prosecutions: one in Georgia and two sets of federal accusations stemming from his attempts to reverse the 2020 election results and his handling of confidential data. Legal battles are expected to delay verdicts before Election Day, according to Reuters.
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