Minutes after a New York jury convicted Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, social media lit up with posts declaring that the former President would not be able to vote for himself in this year's election.
Those saying that Trump, as a convicted felon, will be barred from voting included Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, Florida Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo, British-American journalist Medhi Hassan and actor-comedian John Leguizamo.
But they're wrong.
Florida law since 1977 has provided that convicted felons are not disqualified from voting during the pendency of an appeal, which Trump's legal team will certainly file in the wake of Thursday's verdict.
Further, state law provides that people convicted of a felony out of state are only barred from voting in Florida if their conviction would prevent them from doing so in the state where the verdict occurred.
The law in New York — where jurors agreed Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election — stipulates that felons can vote as long as they aren't incarcerated.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. He faces a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison for the more serious counts. Considering how old he is and his status as a former President, he may receive a shorter sentence or no prison time.
Neither his conviction nor possible incarceration would prevent him from running or serving as President.
Trump has been registered to vote in Florida since Oct. 10, 2019, according to the Florida Department of State's website, which lists his voter status as "active."
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