Interesting Day in America
Ready, Set, Vote
100 years of Voting Rights

It is an interesting day in America. One of the largest states in the Union is closing the books on their Primary Election. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing arguments about voting rights restoration and, 100 years ago today, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution said women would have the right to vote.

Convergence much?

Floridians have a primary election today and polls close at 7 PM. If your Vote-by-Mail ballot is still sitting in the drawer, it isn’t too late. Grab that Vote-by-Mail ballot, check out our posts about the races in your area, and take it to the polls.

When all the votes are counted today, thirteen seats in the Florida House and Senate will already be decided.

The US Appeals Court has to decide if criminal fines and court costs are cause to deny someone the right to vote. Today, the Court is hearing oral arguments for the case.

Poor voter turnout, voter access denied, all because the framers of the 19th Amendment narrowly crafted an amendment to allow for exclusions on account of color, education, criminal history, and more.

Voting is a tradition in our house. Many times, my two boys went with me to vote. We vote at our polling place, the Church down the road. The only time we’ve had a long line was on the rare occasion we’ve done early voting. Now, as college-aged men, they come home for dinner and we go vote.

Many years ago, Florida Cannabis Action Network co-founded the Rights Restoration Coalition. For more than a decade we collected signatures, spoke at press conferences, attended strategy meetings, spoke at community forums, and in a little known-fact, we helped make it easier for former felons to go through the rights restoration process.

The candidates we elect today matter. The closest seats to you, the city counsel, decides if you have a dispensary for Cannabis in your town. They determine rules like do you get arrested for possession of Cannabis, get a ticket or a fine, or get ignored because Cannabis is decriminalized. They will decide if some areas of town are “zoned” for Cannabis cultivation and which ones aren’t.

The Sheriff has so much power over our lives. His/her instruction to deputies on the importance of searching cars, writing tickets, cracking down on small sales of drugs, and how we treat the people in our jails should matter to people who are interested in Cannabis.

One of the medical community’s challenges is how to medicate school aged children who use Cannabis. Your School Board pick influences how our students receive their medicine.

Candidates for the Florida House and Senate today become the legislators who decide to deny you access to flower during the legislative session or they are the very people who fight to open up our legal access by amending existing law and writing new law.

I am often vilified for my harsh criticism of Florida’s legalization amendments. Details matter, I have studied this issue and the body politics for over 20 years. For an example of how well-intentioned people get it wrong, it’s all about the 19th Amendment. Seriously, look at it.

Amendment XIX “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

Time Magazine wrote, “In the case of the 19th Amendment, even as it’s ratified in August of 1920, all Americans are aware that many African-American women will remain disenfranchised. The 19th Amendment did not eliminate the state laws that operated to keep Black Americans from the polls via poll taxes and literacy tests—nor did the 19th Amendment address violence or lynching. Some African-American women will vote with the 19th Amendment. Some are already voting in California, New York, and Illinois where state governments have authorized women’s votes. But many Black women faced the beginning of a new movement for voting rights in the summer of 1920, and it’s a struggle they will wage alone because now the organizations that had led the movement for women’s suffrage are disbanding.”

National Geographic talks about the efforts of black women to secure their ability to vote. “Florida educator and women’s club leader Mary McLeod Bethune traveled her state in 1920 to encourage other Black women to register, only to be confronted by brutal opposition at each step along the way. Black women managed to join voters’ rolls, but the intimidation continued. On Election Day eve, white-robed Ku Klux Klansmen marched onto the grounds of Bethune’s girls’ school in Daytona, aiming to scare Black women away from the polls. When the women turned out to vote anyway, they took their courage from leaders like Bethune and each other.

The devil truly is in the details. Because the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was so narrowly written, the state of Florida can continue to deny people the right to vote based on not paying court costs or fines post-conviction. It took a Florida Constitutional Amendment, after 20 years of public education, to get automatic rights restoration and yet, deep pockets had to foot the bill in Court to give clarity on the fines issue.

Households where the primary breadwinner is disenfranchised or doesn’t take the time to vote build a voting tradition. A tradition of not voting.
Yet, more people are engaged in the political process than ever before. Over 2.3 million votes were cast in Florida by August 14th according to the Tampa Bay Times. Across the country people are joining protests, engaging in political debate, and being heard.

When it comes to the legalization of Cannabis, the same rules apply. Just like the 1920’s and voting rights, many Cannabis users/supporters are ready and willing to leave a multitude behind so they can avoid arrest or profiteer from the industry.

If you are passionate about all people having access to Cannabis, for a myriad of uses, you’ve come to the right place. Cannabis Action Network (CAN) has a long tradition of being the voice that framed the conversation about Cannabis in Florida. We are the voice of the movement in Tallahassee. We hope you will join Florida CAN as a dues-paying member and participate in our forums, discussions, committees, and make defending liberty, standing up for the sick, and putting truth first a tradition in your home.