Research has shown religion to be an important predictor of attitudes toward state punishment, yet religious identity has rarely been included in studies of public opinion toward felon disenfranchisement. In November 2018, voters in Florida passed Amendment 4, the “Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative,” to re-enfranchise Floridians who have completed all the terms of their felony sentences, excluding those convicted of murder or sexual offenses. This study centers on the potential relationship between religious identity, particularly for evangelical Protestants, and punitiveness by examining religious identity as a predictor of attitudes toward felon disenfranchisement. Using data from a 2018 statewide survey of likely Florida voters, this study examines the effect of religious identity and other sociodemographic factors, such as race, on attitudes toward felon disenfranchisement. Results demonstrate that probable voters who identify as evangelical Protestant are less supportive of Amendment 4 (versus non-religious), controlling for other demographics previously found to be significant in the literature. The lack of support for voter re-enfranchisement among evangelical Protestants suggests they take a more punitive stance on this issue. Our findings demonstrate the continued salience of religious identity and the need for its inclusion in future studies examining attitudes toward felon disenfranchisement.

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阳光之州的第二次机会：宗教认同和选民对佛罗里达州重新选举权的支持

研究表明，宗教是对国家惩罚态度的重要预测指标，但宗教身份很少被纳入关于剥夺重罪犯权利的公众舆论研究。2018 年 11 月，佛罗里达州的选民通过了第 4 号修正案，即“重罪犯的投票权恢复倡议”，以重新赋予已完成所有重罪刑期的佛罗里达人的选举权，不包括被判犯有谋杀或性犯罪罪的人。本研究通过将宗教身份作为对剥夺重罪犯权利的态度的预测指标，研究宗教身份（尤其是福音派新教徒）与惩罚性之间的潜在关系。本研究使用 2018 年对可能的佛罗里达州选民进行的全州调查数据，检验了宗教认同和其他社会人口因素（如种族、关于对重罪剥夺公民权的态度。结果表明，确定为福音派新教徒的可能选民不太支持修正案 4（与非宗教人士相比），控制了以前在文献中发现的其他人口统计数据。福音派新教徒缺乏对选民重新选举权的支持表明他们在这个问题上采取了更具惩罚性的立场。我们的研究结果表明，宗教身份的持续显着性以及将其纳入未来研究对重罪犯剥夺权利的态度的研究的必要性。福音派新教徒缺乏对选民重新选举权的支持表明他们在这个问题上采取了更具惩罚性的立场。我们的研究结果表明，宗教身份的持续显着性以及将其纳入未来研究对重罪犯剥夺权利的态度的研究的必要性。福音派新教徒缺乏对选民重新选举权的支持表明他们在这个问题上采取了更具惩罚性的立场。我们的研究结果表明，宗教身份的持续显着性以及将其纳入未来研究对重罪犯剥夺权利的态度的研究的必要性。