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Meade earned a law degree from Florida International University in 2014 but is unable to apply for a license to practice law until he has his rights restored.

While he called his situation discouraging, Meade said he hasn't given up on the effort because of the stories he's heard traveling around the state drumming up support for the constitutional proposal, including the tale of an elderly man whose rights were restored but who died just months before he could vote in the 2012 election.

"Those stories really gave me energy and really strengthened my resolve to try to do something about it. We knew the system was outdated and something had to change," said Meade, who works for the Live Free Campaign, which focuses on gun violence and reducing incarceration levels.

Bondi's office, which represents the state during arguments about proposed constitutional amendments, is not objecting to the proposed amendment at the Supreme Court --- a sharp turnaround from the attorney general's role in the lengthy timeframes now imposed on felons seeking the right to vote.

Bondi and other backers of the current process have argued that the restoration of voting rights for felons should be earned and only after a sufficient waiting period. She recently told reporters she would consider revisiting the system to allow felons to apply to have their rights restored after three years, instead of five.

But Meade rejected that option.

"This is rooted in fairness. Once a person has served their time, has paid their debt to society, they should be given the ability to have their voices heard. Over 95 percent of the country agrees with this, but Florida is an outlier. This is an effort to really get Florida in line with what's going on across the country," he said.

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3/6/2017

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