Florida House committee approves bill tightening rules for ballot initiatives

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A Florida House committee on Wednesday approved a controversial ballot-initiative measure that would impose new requirements on gathering, submitting and validating petition signatures and increase penalties for wrongdoing.

'A chilling effect on citizen-led amendments'

What we know:

A Florida House committee has approved a bill that would impose stricter requirements on the state’s ballot initiative process. The measure would tighten rules on signature collection, shorten submission deadlines, and increase penalties for errors or fraud. It comes after high-profile initiatives on abortion rights and recreational marijuana failed to pass in 2024.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear how these changes would impact future citizen-led ballot measures or if the bill will face legal challenges. Opponents argue the restrictions could make it nearly impossible for grassroots initiatives to succeed. The fate of the bill in the full House and Senate is still uncertain.

The backstory:

Florida’s ballot initiative process has long been a battleground for policy debates, with issues like medical marijuana and minimum wage increases reaching voters in past years.

In 2024, groups spent over $100 million on separate proposals to enshrine abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana—both of which failed to get the required 60% approval. Gov. Ron DeSantis has since pushed for a crackdown, citing concerns over fraud and outside influence.

Big picture view:

Supporters argue the bill protects Florida’s Constitution from being influenced by out-of-state interests and fraudulent petition gatherers. Critics, however, say the changes would give more power to lawmakers and wealthy special interests while making it harder for citizens to bring issues directly to voters. The legislation is part of a broader effort by Republican leadership to tighten election-related processes in the state.

What they're saying:

"Our citizen initiative petition process is broken, and we are the ones that must fix it," said Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers), the bill’s sponsor.

"This bill is not about ‘We the People.’ This bill is about a big government takeover that will hand this process to billionaire corporate elites," said Amy Keith, Common Cause Florida.

Rep. Dotie Joseph (D-North Miami) on the proposed 90% validation requirement explained, "No citizen-led amendment has ever reached a 90% validation rate … What you’re asking for is an impossible threshold."

Brad Ashwell, All Voting is Local Action, said, "We think it will have a chilling effect on citizen-led amendments. It will disempower voters and fully make this a process for wealthy special interests."

"It’s an excellent bill which would provide safeguards to limit corrupt outside influence on our state Constitution," said John Labriola, Christian Family Coalition.

Pamela Burch Fort, ACLU of Florida, said, "We elect lawmakers to represent us … the audacity that they would want to take our constitutional right from us is horrendous and outrageous."

Timeline:

The bill has passed the House State Affairs Committee and is now headed to the full House for consideration. If approved, it will move to the Senate for debate before potentially reaching Gov. DeSantis for final approval.

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