Early last week, Anquan Boldin’s wife received a text message that made Boldin, a former NFL wide receiver and co-founder of the Players Coalition, smile.
It was from Boldin’s brother-in-law, an ex-felon who was celebrating because he’d just voted for the first time since he was 18. It was made possible, in part, by the Nov. 2018 passage of Florida Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to 1.4 million citizens with felony convictions unrelated to murder or sexual offenses.
“He was actually crying after he voted, and I think he’s in his mid-40s, so for me, it was personal,” said Boldin, who also has a brother who lost his right to vote to a felony conviction.