WHEELING — Florida resident Neil Volz is excited. Next month, the convicted felon will get to register to vote for the first time in 15 years.

Volz once served as chief of staff for former Bob Ney, a former Republican congressman from Ohio. Volz now works as political director for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. The group this year successfully campaigned to pass Issue 4, an initiative that restored the voting rights of about 1.4 million convicted felons in politically contentious Florida in time for the 2020 presidential election.

Ney and Volz both were found guilty of felonies in 2007 resulting from their involvement with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Volz pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe members of Congress.

While Ney served time behind bars, Volz did not. He received a sentence of two years probation, a fine of $2,000 and 100 hours of community service.

A native of the Cincinnati area, Volz later relocated to Florida to rebuild his life. Until recently, those with felony convictions in Florida permanently lost all voting rights. This policy also is in effect in Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia, according to information from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In West Virginia, those with felony convictions regain their voting rights after fulfilling all court-directed punishments. In Ohio, felons lose voting rights only while they are in prison.

Maine and Vermont are the only two states where felons — even those who are incarcerated — never lose their right to vote.

Volz said his journey to championing for Issue 4 began not long after he moved to Florida and began working at his church. He learned how a young member of the church had stolen a cellphone and completed his court sentence, but would never be permitted to vote in Florida.

“I was called into this by divine intervention,” Volz said. “This really stirred me up, thinking about the effect these policies would have on him the rest of his life.”

Three days later he was attending a conference at Florida Gulf Coast University when he met up with Desmond Meade, the leader of the felon voting rights movement in Florida.

“For me, it was a touch of God moment when I just happened to be at a conference where I could help this member of the church,” Volz said. He and Meade spoke for over an hour alone that day.

“The rest is history,” Volz said.

Aided by the work of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition this year, Florida Issue 4 was overwhelmingly passed by Florida voters on Nov. 6 with 65 percent approval.

Volz said he plans to be among the first in line on Jan. 8 when voting registration is opened up to all convicted felons, excluding those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense. He isn’t certain what effect these new voters will have on Florida’s political landscape.

“We think this is going to change the issues people talk about, more than their impact on the partisan impact of the state,” Volz said. “Things like criminal justice reform and access to jobs for convicted (individuals) will probably be discussed on the campaign trail than they have in the past.”

Florida is a “no income tax” state, and revenues are generated through a host of other means — including job licensing fees, Volz explained. And those with past felony convictions often aren’t eligible to receive licensures for many better-paying jobs, which limits their earning potential.

“I’m not eligible to be a mortician, a boat captain or a mortgage broker because of my past convictions,” Volz said. “We’ll start to see the conversations change in terms of political discussion in the state.”