Ron DeSantis speaks out on Donald Trump’s voting rights

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is promising to ensure that former President Donald Trump will be able to vote in his current home state after being convicted of felonies in New York.

Trump, whose primary residence has been at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach since 2019, was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by a jury in Manhattan on Thursday. His sentencing hearing was scheduled for July 11, just days before he is expected to officially become the party’s 2024 presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention.

Some have questioned the former president’s eligibility to vote following the verdict, as Florida does not typically allow felons to cast ballots without serving their sentences. However, Trump remains eligible to vote under New York law since he is not currently serving his sentence, while Florida law defers to local jurisdictions concerning out-of-state felony convictions.

DeSantis, who mounted a contentious challenge of Trump’s claim on the GOP nomination before dropping out of the race in January, promised on Friday to use his power to restore the former president’s voting rights in Florida even if he is serving a sentence on Election Day in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

“Former President Donald Trump hasn’t lost his voting rights in Florida,” DeSantis wrote. “Rights are not removed in Florida where they haven’t yet been stripped in the convicting jurisdiction.”

“That said, given the absurd nature of the New York prosecution of Trump, this would be an easy case to qualify for restoration of rights per the Florida Clemency Board, which I chair,” he added. “The bottom line is that Donald Trump’s vote this November will be one of millions that demonstrate Florida is now a solid Republican state!”

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Trump campaign via email on Friday night.

Although Trump is not currently banned from voting due to his New York conviction, several of the rights and privileges that he was entitled to before Thursday were revoked when he acquired his status as a felon.

Under normal circumstances, felons are banned from owning guns and serving on juries. A number of foreign countries also ban felons from visiting, while some industries will not hire or license convicts.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that his legal woes are part of a political “witch hunt” that amounts to “election interference,” insisting that he is “a very innocent man” shortly after being found guilty on Thursday.

While DeSantis and Trump frequently sparred with each other during the GOP primary race, with Trump frequently calling DeSantis “Ron DeSanctimonious,” the Florida governor endorsed Trump while dropping out and has since been floated as a potential running mate for the ex-president.

Update 05/31/24 10:35 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.