Harris laughs off rallygoer's dig at Trump claiming 'felons can't vote' in Florida, Internet fact-checks

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: A rallygoer at Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign event took a swipe at former President Donald Trump's eligibility to vote in light of his conviction in the New York hush-money case.

The incident took place during Harris' campaign event focused on reproductive rights in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, September 20.

"Trump says that he would personally cast his vote in Florida, which is where he now lives, to support their extreme abortion ban," Harris said about her rival's support for the Sunshine State's abortion laws, as per Newsweek.

Immediately, a person from the audience shouted, "Felons can't vote," earning a laugh from the Democratic presidential nominee. Harris replied, "Well, that's a whole different policy discussion that we'll have for another day."

Donald Trump remains eligible to vote in Florida despite rallygoer's claims

However, the rally attendee's assertion that Donald Trump was ineligible to vote in Florida because of his conviction was incorrect.

The real estate mogul is the first president, whether former or current, to be convicted in a criminal case.

In May, a Manhattan jury found him guilty on all 34 counts in the New York hush-money case. The verdict stemmed from his falsifying business records to cover up a $ 130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election to silence her about their sexual encounter.

However, the criminal conviction does not make Trump ineligible to cast his vote in Florida, where he has been a registered voter since 2019, because the state permits convicted felons to vote if they are not under imprisonment at present.

New York law makes Donald Trump eligible to vote in Florida

According to the Florida Division of Elections, the only exception to a felon's right to vote is that "the conviction would make the person ineligible to vote in the state where the person was convicted."

Trump's conviction does not come under this exception because, in New York, any felon not under custody can vote in an election. Therefore, the MAGA spearhead's voting rights would not be hindered in Florida.

The sentencing for the New York hush money case was initially scheduled to be announced this month, but Judge Juan Merchan postponed it until after the November election.

Falsifying business records could carry a maximum sentence of four years in prison, along with possible penalties like probation or conditional discharge.

Recently, Trump's campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Democratic running mate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for reinstating felons' right to vote, saying he was propagating "a radical left agenda."

Besides the hush money case verdict, Trump is facing trial in two other federal indictments over his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia and Washington, DC.

In the meantime, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against him in Florida in July, but the prosecution filed an appeal last month to reinstate the case.

Internet fact-checks rallygoer’s claim that felons can’t vote in dig at Donald Trump

The rally attendee's remark about Donald Trump's voting eligibility based on his felony status led many netizens to clarify that the claim was incorrect.

Numerous users took to social media to highlight that the former president is eligible to vote in Florida for the upcoming November election.

"He can. Florida doesn't let felons vote, but if their felony was from another state, they use that state's law. NY allows felons to vote," a user noted.

"He can. Florida doesn't let felons vote, but if their felony was from another state, they use that state's law. NY allows felons to vote," another wrote.

"WRONG. Florida goes by the rules of the state in which the conviction took place. Per the laws of New York, where the convictions took place, Trump is still eligible vote until if/when he is sentenced to prison. For now, he can vote - and there are no sentencing hearings until after the election, so he'll be voting. I'd say 'nice try' but you could have referred to the statement released by Governor Ronald D. DeSantis of Florida in which he clarified the issue," added a user. [sic]

"For some reason they can in Florida(vomiting)," read another response. [sic]

"To be fair, felons CAN vote in almost every state. It depends on the *kind* of felony you commit in many," an individual added.

"Once again, whether or not a felony conviction will disfranchise a person depends on what state they reside in, what state the felony was committed in, & what the particular crime was. You are not automatically barred from voting for life for committing any random felony," someone else said.

"Convicted felons can vote in Florida if they haven't been sentenced yet," another remarked.

"His felonies were tried in NY so Florida follows NY law which does allow felons to vote; with some exceptions like being jailed," one user wrote.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.