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US mid-terms: Florida restores voting rights to ex-convicts US mid-terms: Drugs, abortion and voting rights on the ballot
(about 7 hours later)
An estimated 1.2 million Florida residents who have served time in prison have regained the right to vote, thanks to passage of a new state constitutional amendment. While the focus of the US mid-terms has been on elections to both houses of Congress, as well as governor posts and state legislatures, Americans were also voting on a number of other issues hugely important to their neighbourhoods.
In Florida, residents who had served time in prison regained the right to vote; in San Francisco, a controversial tax on businesses was passed to help the homeless. Abortion, marijuana and transgender rights were also on the ballot.
Here's some of the highlights:
San Francisco's tax on tech
Voters in the Californian city have voted in favour of Proposition C - a controversial measure supporters say will greatly help the city solve its crippling homelessness crisis.
It will bring in an estimated $250m-$300m (£190m-£228m) a year in added taxes from around 400 of the city's biggest companies, to be spent specifically on the problem.
Naturally, this means the measure has been seen as a tax on the tech giants which dominate this part of the world - firms that are often blamed for driving up living costs, pushing thousands onto the streets.
More than $7m was spent on campaigning; the majority ($5.7m) backed the measure.
Prop C's biggest supporter was Marc Benioff, the charismatic chief executive of Salesforce - a firm which would be among those taxed. Benioff, who most suspect has political ambitions of his own, backed the campaign with around $1m of his own money.
Those against the bill included Twitter's Jack Dorsey, who engaged in very public debates with Benioff about the merits of the plan on, where else, Twitter.
Perhaps surprisingly, one critic of the tax was the city's mayor, London Breed. She cited a lack of adequate accountability for existing funds to fight homelessness as a reason not to gather even more.
But, it passed. The money will go to things like rent subsidies, permanent housing help, hygiene measures and more. It won't solve homelessness overnight, but as far as a majority of San Francisco voters are concerned - it's a start.
Abortion on the ballot
Initiatives that rights groups say have the potential to prevent a woman's right to an abortion were on the ballot in Alabama, Oregon and West Virginia.
Voters in Alabama and West Virginia approved amendments to their state constitutions that could restrict access to abortions for women.
With most votes returned, people in Alabama approved by a clear margin an amendment that makes it state policy to "recognise and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children".
The margin was narrower in West Virginia, where people approved an amendment that says "nothing in this constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of abortion". The measure prevents federal money being used to fund abortions, and could impact women in low incomes.
Voters in Oregon appear to have rejected a similar measure to restrict state funds for abortions, according to partial returns.
Women's rights groups say the measures approved by Alabama and West Virginia could lead to a full ban on abortions in those states if the conservative-majority Supreme Court overturns the 1973 ruling that legalised abortion.
Voting rights for Florida's ex-convicts
An estimated 1.2 million Florida residents who served time in prison have regained the right to vote, thanks to passage of a new state constitutional amendment.
Amendment 4 received 65% of the vote, according to the Miami Herald, changing 150-year-old language in the state's constitution.Amendment 4 received 65% of the vote, according to the Miami Herald, changing 150-year-old language in the state's constitution.
Previously, Florida was one of just four states in the US that automatically and permanently revoked voting rights from anyone who had been convicted of a felony-level crime. Previously, Florida was one of just four states in the US that automatically and permanently revoked voting rights from anyone who had been convicted of a felony-level crime. They could seek clemency, but needed to wait five years until after their release and then apply to the governor's office. Since 2011, Republican Governor Rick Scott has only given the vote back to about 2,000 people.
"We celebrate one of the largest expansions of the franchise in our nation's history," wrote ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon in a statement. To be eligible now, former prisoners must have completed their sentences and all the terms of their release, including probation. The language of the amendment excludes those convicted of murder and serious sexual offenses, but supporters still estimate that more than 1 million Floridians who have served time in prison will become newly eligible to vote.
Previously, formerly incarcerated Floridians had to wait five years after their release, then apply for clemency from the governor's office. Since 2011, Republican Governor Rick Scott has only given the vote back to about 2,000 people.
To be eligible, former prisoners must complete their sentences and all the terms of their release, including probation. The language of the amendment excludes those convicted of murder and serious sexual offenses, but supporters still estimate that over 1 million Floridians who have served time in prison would become newly eligible to vote.
A cross-party, grassroots coalition gathered about 800,000 signatures to get the amendment on the 6 November ballot. The measure needed 60% to pass.A cross-party, grassroots coalition gathered about 800,000 signatures to get the amendment on the 6 November ballot. The measure needed 60% to pass.
Language stripping the vote from felons was written into the state constitution 150 years ago, during the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era, as a means to prevent African Americans from voting.
Supporters of the amendment argued for months that preventing former inmates from voting unfairly disenfranchised men and women who had repaid their debt to society, and prevented them from fully integrating back into society. They also argued that such laws disproportionately impact African Americans.Supporters of the amendment argued for months that preventing former inmates from voting unfairly disenfranchised men and women who had repaid their debt to society, and prevented them from fully integrating back into society. They also argued that such laws disproportionately impact African Americans.
The amendment was endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as the Koch brothers-backed, conservative group Freedom Partners. It had powerful backing, including from celebrities such as singer John Legend and Orange is the New Black author Piper Kerman.
"If we want people returning to society to be productive, law abiding citizens, we need to treat them like full-fledged citizens," Freedom Partners Chairman Mark Holden wrote in his endorsement. Transgender rights in Massachusetts
The move also attracted significant star power from singer John Legend and Orange is the New Black author Piper Kerman. Voters in Massachusetts approved a measure that provides protections for transgender and non-binary people - making it the first state in the US to do so.
Across the US, a patchwork of laws impacts formerly incarcerated people from voting. The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that 6 million Americans are barred from voting due to their criminal records. They agreed to uphold a law, first signed in 2016, that forbids discrimination on the basis of gender in public places.
In Florida, language stripping the vote from felons was written into the state constitution 150 years ago, during the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era, as a means to prevent African Americans from voting. Legalising cannabis
With passage of the amendment, Florida joins the ranks of dozens of American cities and states that have been relaxing restrictions on voting for former prisoners in recent years. In April, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo restored the voting rights of an estimated 24,000 people who are currently on probation or parole. Voters in four states were asked to decide on the legalisation of cannabis - for recreational use in Michigan and North Dakota, and for medical use in Utah and Missouri.
Not all the votes have yet been counted, but projections suggested only North Dakotans had voted against legalising the drug.
If the result is confirmed, Michigan becomes the first US Midwest state to allow adults over the age of 21 to both possess and grow small amounts of marijuana. It will also levy a 10% sales tax on businesses selling the drug.
Utah's measure allows privately-owned chemists to sell cannabis to people with qualifying illnesses while in Missouri, patients have been given permission to grow their own cannabis for medicinal use.
Thirty-one US states have now legalised cannabis for medicinal use, while nine states have approved it for recreational use.