As we all know, Florida is key. So Mike Bloomberg and his team raised more than $16 million to pay the court fines and fees of nearly 32,000 Black and Hispanic Florida voters with felony convictions through a program proven to boost voter turnout. Because not only does FRRC organize ex-felons to vote, their friends and family members turn out to vote, too. Via the Washington Post:
The money will go to fund a program organized by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to pay the fines, fees and restitution costs for former prisoners who are already registered to vote in Florida but barred by law from participating in the election because of those outstanding debts.
Bloomberg, who has committed at least $100 million to electing Biden in the state, raised the money from individuals and foundations over the last week, his advisers said. He saw the donations as a more cost-effective way of adding votes to the Democratic column than investing money to persuade voters who already have the right to vote, a Bloomberg memo said.
“We have identified a significant vote share that requires a nominal investment,” the memo read. “The data shows that in Florida, Black voters are a unique universe unlike any other voting bloc, where the Democratic support rate tends to be 90%-95%.”
This is the same program to which Lebron James contributed $100,000. From talking to people who work with the FRRC, I know this is absolutely a smart, strategic program that can make a vital difference in the Florida election outcome. So good for Mike Bloomberg.
