In a landslide referendum two years ago, Florida voters gave rehabilitated felons the right to vote, but Republican legislators "gutted the biggest voting rights victory in recent history" by making those rights contingent on people paying off any outstanding fines they had. Billionaire Mike Bloomberg and several other wealthy celebrities announced that they will pay $16m to pay off 32,000 fines. Right-wingers, horrified at the prospect of more lower-income Black and Hispanic citizens voting in Florida, claim that it's bribery. But it's the rule they decided upon blowing up in their faces.
The memo says that the 31,790 targeted voters, of which 25,548 are black, is a margin close to that which elected Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican Senator Rick Scott in 2018.
"We have identified a significant vote share that requires a nominal investment," the memo read. "The data shows that in Florida, Black voters are a unique universe unlike any other voting bloc, where the Democratic support rate tends to be 90 per cent to 95 per cent."
An advisor to Mr Bloomberg speaking to the Post on condition of anonymity said that the former Democratic presidential candidate wanted to pay off the fines "because it immediately activates tens of thousands of voters who are predisposed to vote for Joe Biden".
