NEW YORK CITY (NEXSTAR) — On Thursday afternoon, the jury in the hush money case of Donald Trump found the former president guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records in connection to porn actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The verdict marks a historical moment, as it’s the first time a former president — who pleaded not guilty — was convicted of crimes. That’s in addition to a current major political party’s candidate being convicted before an election. Trump currently faces a fine up to $5,000 and a maximum of four years in prison for each felony count.
Though experts have indicated the case will likely be appealed by the Trump team, the conviction presents several new questions Americans have never had to think about.
For instance: can the former president still vote after being convicted of these crimes?
While it’s not an across-the-board rule that a convicted felon will lose their right to vote, it’s common enough for individuals to lose the right for a certain period of time. And the rules differ from state to state.
In Florida, where Trump has lived since 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice explains that while convicted felons do lose their rights to vote if they’re convicted of murder or a sexual offense, other felons will regain their voting rights once they’ve completed their sentences. This means that once former Pres. Trump pays any fines or serves any potential prison time (though this is unlikely), his rights will be restored.
Additionally, as explained by the Florida Division of Elections, a Florida resident convicted of a non-murder/non-sexual crime in another state only loses their right to vote in Florida if their conviction would make them ineligible to vote in the state where they were convicted.
As Forbes reports, since Trump was convicted in New York, we need to look at New York’s voting laws. According to the DOJ, felons only lose their rights to vote while they are incarcerated. This means that unless former Pres. Trump is in prison on Election Day — which again, is unlikely — he can vote.
You also may be wondering why felony convictions won’t keep Trump off the 2024 ballot. Per the U.S. Constitution, Trump meets all requirements of age, birth, and residency. Qualifications for the Presidency have but few requirements and no limitations based on criminal records.
One right the former President may lose, however, is his right to own a gun. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms plainly indicates that anyone “convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.”
New York Judge Juan Merchan has set Trump’s sentencing for July 11.
