US EditionAnd just like that: Gov. DeSantis signs bill targeting citizen-led ballot initiatives into law
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law on Friday that creates new hurdles for citizen-led ballot initiatives in the state.
- The law responds to concerns about alleged fraudulent signatures during the 2024 abortion-rights initiative campaign and raises the threshold to 60% for initiative passage.
- Under the law, organizers must post a $1 million bond, all petition circulators must be Florida residents, and stricter requirements and penalties apply to voters collecting signatures.
- State Senator Carlos Smith called it "the final kill shot against direct democracy," while Republican Senator Don Gaetz said the bill addresses "known fraud" and protects the initiative process.
- Critics warn the law will effectively end grassroots efforts to place initiatives on ballots, shifting control to the Republican-led Legislature and limiting policy changes via direct voter action.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Ballot Initiative Filed In Michigan To Limit Voting To U.S. Citizens, Require ID
A group has submitted language to the Michigan Board of Canvassers for a proposed ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution to explicitly state that only American citizens are eligible to vote in all state and local elections. Americans for Citizen Voting – Michigan submitted the proposed constitutional amendment language on April 30. […] Ballot Initiative Filed In Michigan To Limit Voting To U.S. Citizens, Require ID
Letter: Bill is a dangerous piece of legislation that attacks democracy
Senate Bill 1027 seeks to silence voices by creating barriers that favor the political elite and prevent the public from holding elected officials accountable, says Caedmon Brooks of Ralston.
And just like that: Gov. DeSantis signs bill targeting citizen-led ballot initiatives into law
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill adding new hurdles for future citizen-led ballot initiatives Friday night, hours after the Legislature passed the measure. DeSantis, an outspoken critic of Amendment 3 and 4 to legalize marijuana and protect abortion rights, had pushed lawmakers to change the process before the start of the Session. The ACLU of Florida warned that the new law will make future constitutional amendment initiatives impossible. The …
NEW LAW: Florida just made it more challenging to get amendments on ballots
As the Florida legislature struggled to pass a budget late Friday, Governor Ron Desantis signed off on one bill they did pass on what was supposed to be the final day of the session: House Bill 1205.Pitched as the Ballot Initiative Reform bill, HB 1205 passed 28 to 9 in the Florida Senate Friday, and 81 to 30 in the State House the day before. It changes the requirements for getting amendments to the state constitution on ballots.The law is effe…
Florida Lawmakers Raise New Barriers to Citizens' Ballot Initiatives
With Democrats calling the changes an “assault on the very spirit of Florida’s democracy,” the Republican-controlled Legislature on Friday finalized a plan that will impose additional hurdles on the ballot-initiative process and heighten penalties for wrongdoing. Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed lawmakers to crack down on the process after highly contentious and expensive battles over proposals last year that sought to place abortion rights in the state…
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