Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) is a grassroots, membership organization run by Returning Citizens (formerly convicted persons) who are dedicated to ending the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions. FRRC believes that returning citizens can play an essential role in both strengthening our communities and increasing public safety, especially when barriers to voting and civic participation are removed. We also believe people who are closest to the pain are closest to the solution. Therefore, to foster the highest levels of civic engagement possible in Florida's returning citizen community, we are using our pro bono Attorney Assistance Program (AAP) to break down barriers and create pathways to voting for people with previous felony convictions.

In 2018, FRRC led the movement in which Florida voters approved Amendment 4 to restore voting rights to people who had been convicted of certain felonies upon completion of sentence. However, legal financial obligations (e.g. fines and fees) still block many people from reinstating and exercising their right to vote. FRRC has partnered with We The Action to recruit passionate pro bono attorneys and law students who are willing to review returning citizen cases to help FRRC determine if they are eligible for assistance through FRRC’s pro bono motion-filing program. FRRC and We The Action have begun recruiting Florida licensed volunteers to file motions petitioning sentencing courts to consider removing a returning citizen's financial barriers to voting. However, FRRC still needs support in case research to ensure that applicants are pre-researched before being referred to our Florida licensed volunteers who are filing pro bono motions so that those volunteers can maximize their time representing applicants and filing motions on their behalf in Florida's sentencing courts.

Join lawyers from across the country on April 22nd from 1p - 3p EST via zoom to help formerly convicted people restore their voting rights.

The event will start with a 30 minute orientation meeting and onboarding training, attorneys from any state can help and FRRC staff will train you in the applicable law and research tools.

In the next 90 minutes volunteer will (1) conduct case-research using state and local county clerk websites, and (2) upload the information and court documents gathered from that research. During the 'researchathon' each attorney should be able to do the research to help 1-3 returning citizens to get their voting rights back. Volunteers can do this work from anywhere so long as they have internet and zoom access. The supervision provided is not legal supervision--it is FRRC project supervision in coordinating the efforts, assigning applicants, and answering project questions.