Court rules Florida ex-felons can't vote without paying off fines. Opponents compare it to a poll tax.

Polling place in Florida.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Hundreds of thousands of Floridians with felony convictions just lost their right to vote.

It's been almost two years since Floridians voted to restore voting rights to people with felony convictions who'd been released from prison and weren't convicted of murder or sexual assault. But those newly enfranchised voters prepared to go to the polls in November, a federal circuit court ruled they'll only be able to vote if they'd paid off all fees and fines associated with their conviction.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.