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Paul Manafort eligible to vote in Tuesday's primary election despite felony charges

Posted at 5:05 PM, Aug 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-22 20:56:45-04

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, was foundguilty on eight felony charges on Tuesday: 

-    Five charges of tax fraud
-    One charge of hiding foreign bank accounts 
-    Two charges of bank fraud

A mistrial was declared on the other 10 charges.

“The state of Florida bars convicted felons from voting in the state,” said Florida Atlantic University political science professor Kevin Wagner.

Manafort has a house in Palm Beach Gardens and he is registered to vote in the county.

Despite the jury’s verdict, Manafort will be eligible to vote in Palm Beach County on Aug. 28, according to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, Susan Bucher.

Wagner said Manafort hasn’t officially been convicted yet and even once that happens, it will take time to remove him from the voting rolls.

“The process of getting a conviction translated into removal from the voting rolls is actually going to take some time,” Wagner said. 

Voting records show Manafort has been registered to vote in the county since 2011 and he last voted during the 2016 presidential election.

Wagner said if Manafort wants his voting rights restored in the future, he could appeal to the governor or move to another state.

“Florida has a much stricter requirement than a lot of other states do and that it the subject of a lot of debate,” Wagner said. 

Bucher said Manafort has not requested an absentee ballot for the upcoming election.