Can Convicted Trump still vote?

Former President Donald Trump, now a convicted felon, is still likely to have the opportunity to vote for himself in Florida this upcoming fall election. Despite his conviction on 34 felony counts, experts suggest that Trump can still exercise his right to vote in the state of Florida, where he has been a resident since 2019.

Trump’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July, but his legal team is expected to file appeals to delay any potential prison time. Blair Bowie from the Campaign Legal Center stated that Florida follows laws from other states regarding disenfranchisement of voters with out-of-state convictions.

Florida state law specifies that a resident with a felony conviction from another state can only be ineligible to vote if the conviction would render them ineligible to vote in the state where the conviction occurred. In New York, individuals lose their right to vote only while serving time in prison for a felony conviction. Once released or with a suspended sentence, they regain their voting rights.

The ACLU of New York also confirms that convicted felons on parole, probation, or those who completed their prison sentence can vote. Bowie mentioned that assuming Trump does not receive a prison sentence, his voting rights would be restored according to New York law, thus also enabling him to vote in Florida.

CBS News legal analyst Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola University Law School, reiterated that a felon can vote as long as they are not incarcerated. Trump is currently facing charges related to election interference in Georgia and Washington, D.C., along with 40 additional counts linked to a classified documents case in Florida, for which trial dates have not been set.

Despite Trump’s legal challenges, his ability to participate in the electoral process as a voter in Florida seems likely, provided he avoids incarceration. As the fall election approaches, the former president’s eligibility to vote for himself adds an intriguing layer to an already eventful political landscape.