Thread by @NAACP_LDF

No one's right to vote should be tied to how much money they earn.

Join us for day 3 of the historic #JonesvDeSantis #voting rights trial starting at 9 am EST.

Dial-in & access code:
(571) 353-2300;;034872985#

Follow @NAACP_LDF for trial updates throughout the day.

Judge Hinkle opened the day by explaining the unique method of this court proceeding for the record. This is the first #digitaltrial⚖️ of its kind.

#JonesvDeSantis

With that, Mary Jane Arrington, Supervisor of Elections for Osceola County, has been sworn in.

Ms. Arrington is being questioned by @DaniLang_DC of @CampaignLegal about the lack of clarity & guidance from the state regarding SB 7066's implementation.

#JonesvDeSantis

SB 7066 went into effect on July 1, 2019--but Ms. Arrington's office still has yet to receive a formal memo from #FL that guides implementation of the confusing law.

#JonesvDeSantis

Arrington: "A gentleman told me his conviction was 50 years old, that he never thought he’d be able to vote again, and couldn’t remember if he had paid fines & fees. He wasn't sure if there had been any."

#JonesvDeSantis

When asked by @DaniLang_DC if that citizen has been able to register to vote, Arrington recalled:

"In the end we told him that he had to determine if he paid his fines and fees.

He left that day and I haven't seen him since then."

#JonesvDeSantis

On the FL voter registration process:

Ms. Arrington: "The average person doesn't know what section 4 of article 6 of the Constitution is...is not familiar with clemency...these [#FL voter reg forms] are confusing."

#JonesvDeSantis

As Supervisor of Elections, Ms. Arrington's office maintains the county's voter rolls. They remove voters when needed.

Her office is not notified by any state entity when voters need to be removed from voter rolls due to outstanding fees.

#JonesvDeSantis

On the burden that returning citizens would have to bear to find out about outstanding fees that disqualify them from voting:

Arrington: "There's no one source. There's no gatekeeper. Who's keeping record of these?"

#JonesvDeSantis

.@DaniLang_DC (@campaignlegal): "Does anything help a voter try to determine her eligibility?"

Supervisor of Elections Arrington: "No ma'am, not in my opinion."

#JonesvDeSantis

.@DaniLang_DC's examination of Supervisor Arrington revealed a jarring truth: SB 7066 was published with no guidance, no additional funding, and no support for those directly affected.

#JonesvDeSantis

.@splcenter is now examining Dr. Amanda Weinstein, an expert in microeconomics, urban economics, and women in the economy.

#JonesvDeSantis

Weinstein is explaining how the racial wage gap is *not* closing while the gender wage gap is. According to studies, this is due to racial discrimination.

"About a third of the racial wage gap is due to pure discrimination."

#JonesvDeSantis

According to Weinstein's #wagegap research:

White women earn 79 cents for every $1 that white men earn in FL.

Black women earn 65 cents for every $1 that white men earn in FL.

#JonesvDeSantis

Lack of representation has tangible effects on the #wagegap. Weinstein says lack of representation can cause people of color to conceive "there must be a lot of discrimination in that field and I wont feel welcome."

#JonesvDeSantis

Weinstein: "Black women will earn more with a college degree than without, but they still face significant discrimination because of their race and their gender."

#JonesvDeSantis

Weinstein's research shows poverty and fertility rates are "completely interrelated" and "contribute to the motherhood gap within the gender wage gap."

The motherhood wage gap is a wage penalty associated with motherhood status.

#JonesvDeSantis

Weinstein: "Part of the closing of the gender #wagegap comes from women entering male-dominated fields, which are typically higher-paid...

However, when enough women enter into one industry to flip the majority, that profession becomes devalued."

#JonesvDeSantis

"Women with a criminal conviction earn 52 cents for every $1 that a white men with a criminal conviction earn...

Women of color face a wage penalty for their gender and race, *and* an additional wage penalty for any incarceration in their history." - Weinstein

#JonesvDeSantis

In Weinstein's expert opinion, due to a plethora of wage penalties, formerly-incarcerated Black women "would be at a disadvantage to pay any financial restitution...to regain their voting status."

#JonesvDeSantis

Hannah Walker is now being questioned. Ms. Walker has done extensive research on the barriers that women of color who have experienced incarceration face & the unique challenges they face when paying back fees.

#JonesvDeSantis

According to Walker "formerly incarcerated people had an unemployment rate of 27%" which was 5x that of the general population at the time of the study.

#JonesvDeSantis

"Formerly incarcerated people are 2x as likely to lack a high school credential....& nearly 95% of formerly-incarcerated people do not have a college degree." - Walker

#JonesvDeSantis

Dr. Walker has described some of the barriers formerly incarcerated individuals face when seeking employment: Employer discrimination, being legally barred from employment in certain sectors, and disrupted employment history as a consequence of incarceration.

#JonesvDeSantis

"Health issues that people who experience incarceration face can impact their ability to reintegrate economically into society and pay off those LFOs so that they can vote..." -Walker

#JonesvDeSantis

According to Walker, "women who have experienced incarceration are more likely than their male counterparts to report mental illness & physical illnesses" that impact their ability to get a job--and pay off legal debt--after release.

#JonesvDeSantis

Up now on the witness stand: Douglas Bakke, Chief Deputy - Court Operations at Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court. His office oversees day to day operation of court flow & court system.

He is being examined by an attorney from @BrennanCenter.

#JonesvDeSantis

Mr. Bakke's office was involved in the frustrating attempts to assess the legal financial obligations of Clifford Tyson, a FL pastor decades' old convictions, so that he could vote.

#JonesvDeSantis

tampabay.com/florida-politi…

SB 7066 forces people to pay legal fees no matter how old they are.

When asked about how the office managed legal fee payments in the 70s & 80s, Bakke recounted the office had a “very sophisticated system that consisted of a shoebox and index cards.”

#JonesvDeSantis

.@BrennanCenter attorney: "Have you ever encountered errors or discrepancies in older records of payments made?"

Bakke: "Yes."

#JonesvDeSantis

"The older the case, the less confidence I would have in the accuracy of those records." - Bakke

#JonesvDeSantis

Ultimately, Bakke's office was never able to identify all of the legal fees owed by Pastor Tyson. It took multiple work days and experts that represent over a century of experience combined.

#JonesvDeSantis

According to Bakke, collections agencies tack an additional **40%** on to the legal fee debts that are sent to them to retrieve.

#JonesvDeSantis

Due to these fees, if $100 is paid by a returning citizen, only a $60 payment is registered by the state.

There would be no way for the Secretary of State to see the additional $40 paid toward the debt.

#JonesvDeSantis

Ms. Sheila Singleton is now on the virtual witness stand. Ms. Singleton was convicted of a non-murder, non-sex offense felony & has completed the terms of her conviction, but currently owes legal fees.

Restitution: $12,110.81
Interest: $3,245.12

#JonesvDeSantis

"Could you afford to pay off the money you owe?"

Ms. Singleton: "No, I wouldn't be able to...because of my disability, I am unable to work certain jobs."

Ms. Singleton tried to get on a payment plan, but they are unavailable in her county.

#JonesvDeSantis

Even if Ms. Singleton were allowed to make affordable monthly payments, it would take her more than 26 years.

Ms. Singleton would be disqualified from voting in at least the next 6 presidential elections if SB 7066 stands.

#JonesvDeSantis

Is you being able to pay off the amount you owe the only thing standing between you and voting?

Ms. Singleton: "Yes."

#JonesvDeSantis

"I applied at Walmart...but when my background came back they couldn't hire me because of the stipulations. I applied to Amazon, same thing...then I went online, same thing."
-Ms. Singleton

#JonesvDeSantis

Ms. Singleton: "I can’t work on certain jobs, and the amount of money...it’s going to take me a long time to pay it off, just based on the interest."

#JonesvDeSantis

How long do you think it would take to pay off your debt with community service if you were able to?

Ms. Singleton: "A lifetime."

#JonesvDeSantis

Ms. Singleton spoke about her experience voting in the recent 2020 FL primary:

"It was wonderful. When I went in I told everybody that I got my rights back to vote...I felt like something was taken and it was given back to me."

#JonesvDeSantis

Ms. Singleton: "[Voting] gave me my stability as a Black woman."

#JonesvDeSantis

"I've got grandkids & I wanted to instill in them how important it is to vote--and that's something I couldn't do.

But now, I can give them that stability: You can get your voice back...and be a part of something great in the community."
-Ms. Sheila Singleton

#JonesvDeSantis