Why the GOP must start reaching out to felon voters

It’s not just in Florida. All across America, for better or for worse, states are making it easier for ex-cons to resecure voting privileges.

Felons, Nodine said, “could be a crucial bloc vote. That’s something every political consultant should understand.”

Nodine says ex-con demographics have changed. With the advent of the opioid crisis, more and more working-class families (cultural Trump-type voters) now feature family members whose crimes began not by acquiring inherently, always-illegal substances such as cocaine, but instead by getting hooked on otherwise legal prescription drugs. Throw in white-collar criminals, plus people like a 24-year-old young woman he knows who got a felony DUI-related conviction after a family tragedy, and suddenly one sees at least a large minority of ex-cons to whom Republicans might appeal if their message is right.