After Amendment 4: Weaponised State Failure in Florida

• In Event: Gerrymandering, Race and Voting in the US

Abstract

How does the state use its discretionary power to lower voter turnout among undesirable groups? I develop a theory of this behavior that I term weaponised state failure. Using the case of voting rights for those with felony convictions in Florida, I develop this theory. Most people with felony convictions became eligible to vote in Florida after the passing of Amendment 4 in 2018. However, subsequent state interventions have created a maze of bureaucratic hoops to jump through for those who want to exercise this right. Simultaneously, underfunding of the institutions that are meant to help citizens determine their eligibility to vote have rendered them incapable of performing their screening function, resulting in high-profile arrests for illegal voting that have a further dampening effect on voter turnout. I argue that the state of Florida is using these custodial citizens as a trial balloon for wider use of this strategy of weaponised state failure, and that this is likely to encourage wider adoption in other states.

Author

• Klara Maria Cecilia Fredriksson, Beloit College