Desmond Meade

Desmond Meade is a voting rights activist and the former Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. A Florida native, Meade battled drug addiction and depression to become a globally recognized force for change in our state.In 2018, Meade led the successful effort to pass Amendment 4, a state ballot initiative that restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with previous felony convictions. In 2019, Time magazine named Meade as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2021, he was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. In 2023, under Meade’s leadership, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.Meade is now up for his next challenge, running for the upcoming vacant governor’s office as Ron DeSantis' term ends.  Meade is an independent, running as an NPA, or No Party Affiliation candidate. At a time where politics is more polarized than ever, Meade told us believes he can bridge the gap between voters and unite Floridians over common sense issues, backed by his record of activism in the state.