Though he is now a convicted felon, Donald Trump can still vote for himself in the 2024 election, provided he isn’t in jail in November.
According to the ACLU of New York, a convicted felon can vote in New York as long as they were not sentenced to prison or had a prison sentence suspended.
“As of May 2021, all New Yorkers who are incarcerated after a felony conviction have their voting rights immediately and automatically restored upon release from prison, whether or not they are on parole. You do not need any special documentation to register to vote,” the ACLU website reads.
Trump will be sentenced July 11, but most convictions for these charges do not result in jail time. And though the majority of U.S. states bar convicted felons from voting in some way, in Florida, where Trump is a resident, a felon’s voting rights are governed by the state in which they were convicted.
There are several other consequences to Trump’s conviction on all 34 felony counts in a New York court on Thursday.
If he were to be elected in November, Trump could not pardon himself because, according to the U.S. Constitution, presidents are only allowed to issue pardons for federal crimes — except for impeachment, which, like state-level crimes, is off limits. He could petition New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, though the lifelong Democrat is unlikely to grant such a request.
And unless he is pardoned or his conviction is overturned, Trump is now banned for life from owning a gun.
While federal law only revokes gun rights for felons who receive a least a one-year prison sentence, under New York law, Trump’s conviction alone triggers the ban. And more importantly, it doesn’t matter that he resides in Florida, where “felony convictions occurring in another state require restoration of civil and firearm rights by the state in which the conviction occurred.” In other words, unless and until New York restores his right to own a gun, he’s stuck.
He also cannot serve as a juror, another lifetime ban. He will need to indicate his felony status on housing or employment applications.
As of his Thursday conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, the only way Trump can clear his record is through a successful appeal.
But he can run for, and serve as, president of the United States, as the Constitution’s only limitations are that candidates must be a “natural born” citizen (meaning they were not naturalized), a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years and at least 35 years old.
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