Florida representative Alan Grayson who is currently running for the senate in the Sunshine State has sponsored a bill, which if passed, would restore voting rights to more than 1.5 million citizens.

The bill is being called the No One Can Take Away Your Right To Vote Act (a bit lengthy perhaps), and it would restore the voting rights to all ex-convicts once they are released from prison. This would significantly affect the voting population in this key state, adding around 10 percent to the voting-age population.

Grayson claimed that the law blocking felons from voting was an outdated mode of punishment that was a carry-over from the post-Civil War days.

“This punishment is a holdover from less civilized times.”

Grayson, who has come under fire for his progressive viewpoints and consistent refusal to stand down to establishment politics, is taking yet another step toward invigorating the Democratic process by returning basic voting rights to all citizens.

Sydney Robinson is a political writer for the Ring of Fire Network. She has also appeared in political news videos for Ring of Fire. Sydney has a degree in English Literature from the University of West Florida, and has an active interest in politics, social justice, and environmental issues. She would love to hear from you on Twitter @SydneyMkay or via email at srobinson@ringoffireradio.com