Vice President Kamala Harris laughed in response to a rallygoer’s claim that convicted felons, like former President Donald Trump, cannot vote, turning the moment into a sharp political jab at the Republican nominee.
Harris was addressing a crowd on her 2024 campaign trail in Atlanta when she spoke about Trump’s support for Florida’s strict abortion laws, noting that Trump planned to cast his vote in the state.
“Trump says that he would personally cast his vote in Florida, which is where he now lives, to support their extreme abortion ban,” Harris said. A person in the crowd shouted, “Felons can’t vote!” Harris chuckled and responded, “Well, that’s a whole different policy discussion that we’ll have for another day.”
Trump is the first ex-president convicted of a felony. A New York jury in May found him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to former adult film actor Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels claims she and Trump had a sexual encounter a decade earlier after they met at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
Despite his criminal conviction for falsifying business records, Trump remains eligible to vote in Florida, where he has been registered since 2019. Florida laws allow convicted felons who are not currently incarcerated to vote.
The Florida Division of Elections clarifies the only exception is if “the conviction would make the person ineligible to vote in the state where the person was convicted.” This provision does not apply to Trump, as New York only bars felons from voting if they are in custody.
This means Trump’s conviction does not affect his right to vote in New York. His sentencing date for the hush money case has been delayed until after the November election.
Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 20. Harris laughed at a supporter who said that felons can’t vote, referring to Donald Trump.
Ben Hendren/ Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images
It puts Trump in a unique position: benefiting from a policy his campaign has often opposed in other contexts.
Just recently, Trump’s team attacked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for restoring voting rights to felons. Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Walz for “embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote” and spreading “a radical left agenda.”
Trump is also due to face trial in three other felony cases related to accusations he mishandled classified documents and broke the law attempting to allegedly overturn the 2020 presidential election results both nationwide and in the state of Georgia specifically. He has pled not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing.
Falsifying business records can result in up to four years in prison. Other potential sentences include probation, a fine or a conditional discharge, which would require Trump to stay out of trouble to avoid additional punishment.
