In the state of Florida, citizens have historically used initiatives to push forward progressive reforms, bypassing a Republican-led legislature to achieve milestones like increasing the minimum wage, legalizing medical marijuana, and restoring voting rights for people with felony convictions. However, new legislation signed by Governor Ron DeSantis now introduces stricter regulations for citizen-driven initiatives. Critics argue that these changes will make it financially and practically inaccessible for grassroots organizers to get their proposals onto the ballot.
Across many states, similar legislation has been introduced to limit the public’s ability to propose ballot measures, according to the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. Advocates for voting rights perceive this as a betrayal of the concept of direct democracy. In Florida’s case, the recent law stipulates that anyone collecting more than 25 signed petitions must register as a petition circulator with the state under penalty of a felony if they fail to comply.
Recently, Florida voters initiated efforts to protect abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana, but these measures failed to clear the required 60% threshold. Following the approval of the new legislation by lawmakers, the governor promptly signed it into effect, further intensifying his office’s campaign against last November’s ballot measures.
State Senator Carlos Smith, a Democrat from Orlando, criticized the legislation as a significant blow to direct democracy. In contrast, the Republican sponsors of the bill assert that the reforms are intended to safeguard the integrity of the initiative process. They claim the law targets fraudulent activities by external petition-gatherers, rather than the process itself.
Senator Don Gaetz, a co-sponsor of the bill, emphasized that the new law aims to address corruption in the citizen initiative process. The DeSantis administration’s election crimes unit has reported dozens of arrests and convictions related to election fraud, providing some basis for the claimed necessity of these reforms.
Lawmakers have explicitly addressed concerns about the previous use of public funds for campaigns opposing ballot measures, declaring such practices illegal under the new regulations. These rules also stipulate that Floridians involved in collecting petition signatures must reside in the state, be free of felony convictions if their voting rights have not been restored, and provide personal identification details that will be made public.
Campaigners now face tighter deadlines and severe penalties for incorrectly submitted petitions. Former State Senator Jeff Brandes criticized these legislative changes, arguing that making constitutional changes should be challenging but not unattainable. His sentiments reflect broader concerns over the state’s shifting guidelines on citizen initiatives.