The Florida House on Thursday approved a measure making it more difficult for citizen-led constitutional amendments to get on state ballots.
The proposal underwent several changes, but ultimately critics claim the measure reduces access to democracy, while supporters say it adds guardrails to the citizen petition process.
鈥淲e already have very strict procedures in place," said Cecile Scoon, the co-president of the .
Opponents of HB 1205
Scoon was one of many people who spoke against the measure.
Prior to Thursday's House session, she and other voting right advocates held a press conference inside the State Capitol.
鈥淭hey are trying to make it impossible for everyday Floridians to put citizen-led amendments on the ballot," said Common Cause Florida Program Director Amy Keith. "They don鈥檛 want us to be able to directly pass policies that we know our communities need.
The groups hoped to urge the Florida House to vote down House Bill 1205. The House hours later, passed the measure, 76-31, with most Republicans voting in support.
How did this come about?
The bill emerged after Republican-Governor Ron DeSantis and recreational marijuana.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 allow rampant fraud to affect the Florida petition process," DeSantis
We can鈥檛 allow rampant fraud to affect the Florida petition process. uncovered massive fraud regarding the petition process for ballot initiatives during the 2024 election, as revealed in their recently filed annual report.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis)
Many Floridians whose names were鈥�
House Bill 1205 would These include shortening the petition submission window from 30 days to 10 days and requiring petition sponsors to pay a million dollars to get their initiatives on the ballot.
Senator Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, before the House convened, called for his colleagues across the aisle to keep Florida鈥檚 current petition process intact.
He said it already has guardrails.
鈥淣early 1 million signatures are required at a 60 percent voter approval threshold right now. The reason why my colleagues did that is because they saw鈥� and they continue to see鈥攚hat people in the state of Florida want," said Jones.
Supporters of the bill
Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, believes the state鈥檚 citizen initiative process is broken.
鈥淥ur citizen initiative process is broken," she said on the House floor Thursday. "It has been taken over by out-of-state fraudsters, looking to make a quick buck.鈥�
Some examples of citizen-approved initiatives include , , and starting up the state鈥檚 voluntary pre-kindergarten program.
The measure now awaits a date to be heard in the Senate. Its Senate companion has one more committee before it can be taken up on the floor.
