Can you vote with a felony in Florida?

How the right comes back

Depends on the conviction

For most felonies, the disqualification ends 'upon the completion of all terms of his or her sentence, including parole or probation' (s. 98.0751(1), Fla. Stat.; Fla. Const. art. VI, § 4(a)). That means every term in the four corners of the sentencing document: release from prison or jail, termination of probation, community control, parole or other supervision, any other court-ordered term, and full payment of the restitution, fines and fees ordered as part of the sentence or as a condition of supervision (the Department of State also lists costs). Only amounts ordered in the sentence count; fines, fees or costs that accrue later, such as interest or collection charges, do not (s. 98.0751(2)(a)5.c.; the Department of State's 'first dollar' policy). A court may end a financial obligation with the consent of the person owed or convert it to community service, and finishing the community service completes that term; converting it to a civil lien does not (s. 98.0751(2)(a)5.e.). A person unsure of their eligibility can request an advisory opinion from the Division of Elections (s. 106.23(2), Fla. Stat.; Rule 1S-2.010, F.A.C.). Anyone can also apply to the State Clemency Board, which is the only route for people convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense. Once eligible, the person may register to vote; registered voters found to be ineligible because of a felony conviction are removed from the voter rolls (s. 98.075(5), (7)).^1,2,3,4

When the right doesn't come back on its own

• murder
• felony sexual offense

People convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense, as defined in s. 98.0751(2)(b)-(c), Fla. Stat. (including similar offenses in other jurisdictions), are ineligible 'unless and until the person's right to vote is restored by the State Clemency Board' (Department of State; Fla. Const. art. VI, § 4(b)). 'Felony sexual offense' includes any felony that requires sexual offender registration under s. 943.0435 plus a list of other statutes, including sexual cyberharassment under s. 784.049(3)(b) or (4). Clemency applications go through the Florida Commission on Offender Review, whose clemency page describes Restoration of Civil Rights and links the Rules of Executive Clemency.^1,2,4,5,6

Fines, fees and restitution

Must be paid first

All restitution, fines and fees ordered as part of the felony sentence or as a condition of supervision must be paid in full (the Department of State also lists costs), unless a court ends them with the consent of the person owed or converts them to community service that is completed. Amounts that accrue after sentencing, such as interest and collection charges, do not count. Conversion to a civil lien does not satisfy the requirement (s. 98.0751(2)(a)5., Fla. Stat.; Department of State).^2,4

Registering again

Yes

Once the right is back, Florida requires a new voter registration before voting.^3,4

Misdemeanors and jail

A misdemeanor conviction does not make a person ineligible, and neither does an offense without an adjudication of guilt (Department of State).^2,4

Ineligibility follows a felony conviction; the Department of State's page does not separately address people held in jail before trial.⁴

Convictions from another state or federal court

The Department of State says a conviction in another state makes a person ineligible in Florida only if it would also make them ineligible in the state where it happened. Similar offenses in other jurisdictions count as murder or a felony sexual offense (s. 98.0751(2)(b)-(c)). The Department's page does not address federal convictions.^2,4

What's changed

October 1, 2025: Two 2025 laws took effect October 1, 2025. Chapter 2025-84, Laws of Florida (CS/CS/HB 1451, approved May 22, 2025), amended the voting law's definition of 'felony sexual offense' (s. 98.0751(2)(b)) to include the new felony of sexual cyberharassment for pecuniary or other financial gain that it created in s. 784.049(4). Chapter 2025-156 (CS/CS/SB 1804, on capital human trafficking of vulnerable persons for sexual exploitation, approved June 19, 2025) amended the sexual offender registration law (s. 943.0435) and, in section 57, reenacted the same definition to take in that amendment; because any felony that is a predicate for sexual offender registration is a 'felony sexual offense' for voting, the definition follows the registration law. Exactly which offense ch. 2025-156 added to s. 943.0435 was not confirmed, because the extracted text does not show the act's underlining.⁵

The law

• Fla. Const. art. VI, § 4
• s. 98.0751, Fla. Stat. (2026)
• s. 98.075(5), (7), Fla. Stat. (2026) (removal of registered voters with a felony conviction)

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