Although former President Donald Trump was convicted earlier this year in a Manhattan courtyard from 34 offences of falsifying business records, Republican presidential candidate can still vote in the 2024 presidential election.

Trump cast his vote in Palm Beach County on Tuesday with his wife, Melania.

Why can Donald Trump vote even though he has been convicted of a felony?

While the state of Florida in general makes it difficult for people convicted of crimes to vote until they serve their full sentence, Trump benefits from being convicted out of state.

Florida law specifies that people convicted out of state are subject to the voting laws of whatever state they were convicted in — New York, in this case. Trump can thank one New York State Law of 2021 for his voting privileges in this election, one that allows felons to vote if they are not currently incarcerated.

In Trump’s case, he was convicted in New York in May, but has not yet been sentenced. This makes him an eligible voter in the state of Florida.

He was originally scheduled to be sentenced in the case on September 18, but his lawyers asked on August 14 that his sentencing be delayed until after the presidential election. They argued that a delay was necessary to resolve ongoing legal challenges to his conviction.

In early September, Judge Juan Merchan issued an order postponement of sentence until November 26, after the election.

Merchan wrote that he made the decision “to avoid any appearance – however unjustified – that the proceeding was affected by or seeks to affect the upcoming presidential election in which the defendant is a candidate.”

What crimes was Trump convicted of?

Trump was convicted in May by a unanimous jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Prosecutors said Trump signed off on a scheme to hide kickbacks to a lawyer who wired a $130,000 “hush money” payment to the adult film state just days before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.

“A jury of 12 New Yorkers quickly and unanimously convicted Donald Trump of 34 felonies,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in early September after Trump was convicted.

Merchan has one wide range in determining Trump’s sentence. The charges carry a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison, but Merchan can also hand down a sentence that involves a variety of alternatives to incarceration, including probation. Most legal observers expect Trump to avoid prison time given his status as a first-time offender and sentences handed down for the same offense in other cases.

Trump has denied all allegations in the case as well four other criminal casestwo of which revolve around his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and one, which was impeached, where he was accused of taking confidential documents from the White House at the end of his presidency.

Where do these go from here they could very well it depends on if Trump is elected.