Donald Trump Is a Convicted Felon, but He Can Still Vote in the 2024 Election

The 2024 election is the third presidential election in a row where Donald Trump has been one of the two choices. Each time, he's faced a different opponent under different circumstances. In 2024, some are also wondering whether the former president can even vote in an election that many prognosticators believe will be close.

Earlier this year, Trump was convicted on multiple felony charges in a New York courtroom. Here's what we know about whether those convictions will prevent him from voting.

In many states, a felony conviction means that you cannot cast a ballot. While these voting rights are a hotly contested issue in much of the country, many are wondering whether Trump's felony convictions mean that he is unable to vote in this year's election.

As it turns out, though, Trump can vote in the 2024 election, which is in part because he is a resident of Florida.

While those convicted of a felony in Florida often have a perilous path to regaining their right to vote, Trump was not convicted of a felony in Florida. Instead, he was convicted in New York, and Florida law states that residents who have out-of-state felony charges will be subject to that state's laws around whether they still have the right to vote, per CNN.

That means that Trump is benefiting from a 2021 law passed in New York that allows those with felony convictions to vote as long as they are not serving a term of incarceration during the election. Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in his New York criminal case on Nov. 26, pending the outcome of this election.

The short answer, though, is that Trump can vote in Florida in this election even though he has a felony conviction.

There are some circumstances where Donald Trump and others with high levels of political power play by different rules than everyone else. That wasn't the case here. Instead, Trump is subject to Florida and New York laws just like everyone else, and those laws say that he is eligible to vote.

Many Floridians who have been convicted of felonies in the state don't have such a simple path to voting, though.

In 2018, a ballot initiative passed in the state that was supposed to restore the right to vote for those convicted of felonies. In the aftermath of that ballot initiative passing, the Florida legislature gutted many of its key provisions and passed a law stating that those with felony convictions couldn't vote unless they paid all of the fines and fees associated with their conviction. This process can be challenging, in part because there's no centralized way to track those fines.

Trump does not have to deal with these provisions, as he is not governed by that part of Florida law. Of course, even if he were, he would likely be able to pay any necessary fines.