Floridians for a Fair Democracy — Ballot Committee Contribution

[Criminal Justice Reform] Grant investigator: Chloe Cockburn This page was reviewed but not written by the grant investigator. Floridians for a Fair Democracy staff also reviewed this page prior to publication. The Open Philanthropy Project recommended a grant of $750,000 to Floridians for a Fair Democracy, a ballot measure committee seeking to pass an amendment to restore voting eligibility to 1.4 million people in Florida who were previously convicted of felonies. The amendment would apply only to those who have completed their full sentences and excludes certain offenses. Chloe Cockburn, our program officer for criminal justice reform, believes increasing the political and advocacy power of formerly incarcerated people is an important element of strategies to safely reduce incarceration. According to the committee, Florida is currently one of four states with a lifetime ban on voting for people with prior felony convictions. This grant was made by a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, to which we occasionally make funding recommendations. This is a discretionary grant and falls within our focus area of criminal justice reform.