Amendment 4 Fellows tackle voting rights, other issues through new program
Four Stetson Law students have spent the last year dedicating their time and talent to an essential new program in Pinellas County aimed at helping returning citizens rebuild their lives.
Stetson University College of Law and Community Law Program (CLP) received a $33,500 grant from the American Bar Endowment (ABE) in summer 2020 to create clinics to help returning citizens previously convicted of felonies get their voting rights restored.
In 2018, 65 percent of Floridians voted in favor of Amendment 4 to revise the Florida Constitution to restore voting rights to 1.4 million citizens previously convicted of felonies (commonly referred to as “returning citizens”). Months later, the Florida Legislature passed a subsequent bill requiring all financial obligations of returning citizens’ sentences be paid before they could vote. This meant only those returning citizens with enough money to pay financial obligations such as court fees, fines, and restitution in full would be eligible to vote. The requirement eliminated access to justice and civic engagement for hundreds of thousands of low-income and indigent citizens.
To combat the inequality, CLP, through the grant and with the help of students and faculty at Stetson University College of Law, started a series of Restoration of Voting Rights Remote Clinics serving Pinellas County, Fla. CLP staff recruited, trained and supported volunteer attorneys who hosted virtual clinics twice a month to review legal options with returning citizens interested in restoring their voting rights.
Stetson Law selected four student fellows to support CLP’s efforts through assisting with intake, research, and outreach. The law students also helped in recruiting, organizing and training other law student volunteers and community partners. This year’s fellows were Jasmine Mattear, Gabi D’Esposito, Steven Nicholas, and Alessandra M. Jensen.
Their efforts have now become known as the Amendment 4 Program and include ongoing legal services for issues including voting rights, driver’s license restoration, and sealing and/or expunction of criminal records. Stetson students have filmed a series of videos to education the public about the various services (see below). As part of the project, Stetson fellows worked with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to assist 485 returning citizens, 148 of whom were then registered to vote before October 2020.
Each of the students brings his or her unique perspective to the Fellow role. D’Esposito, a 2L from Long Island, saw firsthand how those who cannot afford legal representation can receive harsh and unfair sentences for crimes when a relative was imprisoned for five years. She aims to be a public defender after graduation but said the Amendment 4 Program has given her a chance to help people now.
“It’s been great having in individual impact,” she said.
For Nicholas, a 3L from Bradenton, the Amendment 4 Program is an “anger project.” Trained lawyers volunteering on cases spend full days just trying to determine exactly what people were charged with, and what they owe in fines and fees. If educated and experienced attorneys struggle to track down the information and navigate governmental red tape, how could the average returning citizen be expected to do so without qualified help? That’s why the program is so important.
“I’ve learned how difficult the system makes it to work within its own rules,” he said.
Mattear, a 3L from Tallahassee, agreed that her biggest lesson from her year as a Fellow was the sheer amount of time and work involved in helping clients navigate the legal system. Not all court processes are straightforward, and they vary by jurisdiction. But something as seemingly simple as having a criminal record sealed or expunged can have a huge impact on a person – it could be the key to passing a background check and securing a job.
That keeps Mattear motivated, as does the hope of restoring voting rights for returning citizens.
“Voting is so important as an American citizen,” she said. “Everyone should have a say.”
The Amendment 4 clinic is open to qualifying Pinellas County residents; sessions are held online the first and third Thursday of every month from 5-7 p.m. For additional information, or to receive assistance through this project, contact call Community Law Program at (727)-582-7480 or email [email protected].
Fellow Talk Friday Series
Post date: March 22, 2021
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
[email protected] | 727-430-1580