The recent federal court ruling on Amendment 4 may have left you confused. We called the office of the State Attorney 13th Judicial Circuit for clarification.

We are happy to confirm that returning citizens can register to vote, as long as they have completed their sentences and were not convicted of homicide or sexual assault. Unknown fines or the inability to pay outstanding fines or fees should not stop you from registering, based on the latest federal court ruling. If you had a public defender assigned to you, or if your fees were converted to civil judgements, it is assumed that you are unable to pay.

So if you meet these criteria, go ahead and register. You will hear from Tallahassee if your registration is accepted.

Welcome back, citizens. Register to vote here.

If you have additional questions reach out to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

Please note that the DeSantis Administration decision to appeal the ruling does not affect your ability to register now. For more information on the Federal Court’s recent ruling, click here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee
Ione Townsend, Chair
813-704-5131
itownsendhcdec@gmail.com

May 4, 2020

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY DEMS DEMAND ACTION OVER BROKEN UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEM

TAMPA, FL, May 4 – While the State of Florida tinkers with the unemployment system and promises action “soon”, hundreds of thousands of Floridians are finding out just how long they can go without food, rent or medicine.

“More than forty percent of Floridians didn’t have $400 available in cash or credit to meet an emergency going into this crisis,” says Ione Townsend, Chair of the Hillsborough County Executive Committee. “Those same people are now more than six weeks without income. They passed the point of desperation weeks ago.”

Millions of federal stimulus checks have been mailed, but in Florida, 916,000 unique claims have been filed and only 416,000 processed. Some 266,000 were declared ineligible.

The besieged Florida unemployment benefits system crashed spectacularly in March. The DeSantis administration has taken flack for offering the slowest rate of processing in the nation, according to the Associated Press and based on Department of Labor data. A new website and new staff have only marginally improved the overall processing rate and many Floridians report being deemed ineligible with no explanation or opportunity for recourse. Last week, Governor DeSantis promised an investigation into the failed system.

“Floridians can’t wait for an investigation”, Ms. Townsend says. “The coronavirus is no one’s fault, but this crisis is Florida-made and it’s up to Florida’s Republican government to fix it. No other state residents are suffering as much as ours.”
Florida offers the shortest term for receiving benefits, tied for last place with N. Carolina at 12 weeks, and the fifth lowest weekly payout at $275/week.

The Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee is a local branch of the Florida Democratic Party. The HCDEC actively promotes laws and policies to increase prosperity and improve the lives of all Americans.

For more information, please contact Ione Townsend at 813-704-5131 or itownsendhcdec@gmail.com.

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Are you a Democratic Party supporter from a Hispanic community? Do you speak fluent Spanish? We need your help!

Our County’s Spanish-speaking population is thriving and growing. In several parts of the county over fifty percent of communities are from Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban, or other Latino cultures.

If we can get the Hispanic vote out, Hillsborough County will be SOLID BLUE…

The vast majority of Americans of Spanish-speaking heritages share our Democratic values, from education and jobs to health care and immigration. These communities are among the most consistently Democratic-voting populations, and yet statistics show they are FAR LESS LIKELY to vote than many other demographics, including women, Caucasians, or African Americans.

Just increasing the vote of registered Democrats of Hispanic background in Hillsborough county from the current voting average of 49 percent to the 70 percent range we see in most other demographics, WOULD MAKE EVERY SEAT IN THE COUNTY SOLIDLY BLUE.

We need to reach our Hispanic voters in their homes and communities and show them that THEIR VOTE MATTERS.

How do we do this?

There are no studies to answer why this demographic votes less often, but we DO know that many Hispanics don’t feel their vote makes a difference. Still others are afraid to go to the polls, having had poor experiences with other government bureaucracies.

We, as Hillsborough County Democrats, need to be a presence in these communities. We need to listen to their concerns and show them the impact their combined voting force could have on this community. We need to knock on doors, table at community rodeos and musical festivals. We need to speak more Spanish, translate our materials into Spanish, and we need a volunteer to help us make this website bilingual!

Nuestro voto ES nuestra VOZ!

Hillsborough County Democrats will be rolling out a campaign in the coming weeks to show our Latino base that THEIR VOTE MATTERS. The campaign “Nuestro voto ES nuestra VOZ” will include tabling at local events, Spanish-language radio promotions, short and impactful social media videos and more.

Sign up here to volunteer, and if you speak Spanish please be sure to tell us.