US EditionRecreational Marijuana and 21 Other Citizen Initiatives Fail to Qualify for Florida’s 2026 Ballot
A new 2025 law imposed stricter rules and penalties, causing all 22 citizen initiatives, including recreational marijuana, to fall short of the nearly 881,000 verified signatures needed.
- On Feb. 1, 2026, the Department of State declared no citizen initiatives turned in enough verified petitions before the Sunday deadline, according to officials.
- Signed May 2, 2025, HB 1205 imposed new hurdles including a $1 million bond, residency and background checks for paid petition collectors, and shortened timelines for supervisors of elections.
- Despite campaign claims, Smart & Safe Florida submitted over 1.4 million petitions, but state records show 783,592 validated signatures, with tens of thousands tossed, including 200,000 for missing text.
- Campaign leaders noted that Florida Decides Healthcare will shift its Medicaid expansion effort to the 2028 ballot after failing to qualify this cycle, while Attorney General James Uthmeier announced ongoing investigations and arrests tied to alleged petition fraud.
- For now, it appears no citizen-proposed constitutional amendments will appear statewide this cycle as more than 20 initiative petitions missed requirements this year amid a yearslong clash with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
35 Articles
35 Articles
All 22 Citizen Initiatives Fail to Qualify in Florida
A proposed amendment to Florida's constitution that would allow recreational marijuana use for adults is one of 22 citizen initiatives that failed to qualify for the 2026 ballot, state officials said. The Florida Department of State announced Sunday that none of the active proposed constitutional amendments by initiative petition met...
22 initiative-based proposals fail to meet Florida requirements for placement on 2026 ballot, Department of State says
Secretary of State Cory Bryd’s Department of State had posted that “All twenty-two active proposed constitutional amendments by initiative petitions failed to meet the requirements of Florida law for placement on the 2026 General Election ballot.”
No Citizen Initiatives Qualify for Florida’s 2026 General Election Ballot
No citizen-led constitutional amendments will appear on Florida’s 2026 general election ballot after all proposed initiatives failed to meet the state’s legal requirements, the Florida Department of State announced Sunday. State election officials said none of the 22 active initiative petition campaigns submitted enough verified signatures by statutory deadlines to qualify for ballot placement, effectively ending all citizen-driven amendment eff…
Associated Press News
Recreational marijuana and 21 other citizen initiatives fail to qualify for Florida's 2026 ballot
A proposed amendment to Florida’s constitution that would have allowed recreational marijuana use for adults has failed to qualify for the 2026 ballot.
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