Latest news with #JennaPersons-Mulicka
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida House cracks down on ballot initiatives
The Brief The Florida House passed a controversial bill (HB 1205) that would impose stricter rules on the ballot-initiative process, including shorter petition submission deadlines and higher penalties. Critics argue the bill could hinder citizen-led constitutional amendments. The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration. ORLANDO, Fla. - Building on a years-long effort to make it harder to change the state Constitution, the Florida House on Thursday approved a controversial measure that would impose new requirements on the ballot-initiative process and increase penalties for wrongdoing. What we know On April 3, 2025, the Florida House approved a controversial bill (HB 1205) that would impose significant changes to the state's ballot-initiative process. The bill shortens the time for signature gatherers to submit petitions from 30 days to 10 days, introduces new penalties for late-filed petitions, and requires voters to provide identifying information, such as a driver's license number, when signing petitions. It also imposes a $50,000 fine for violations of rules regarding collecting or handling signatures and introduces additional hurdles for citizen-led initiatives. What we don't know The specific impact on future ballot initiatives is unclear, especially regarding the practical effects of the increased penalties and shortened timelines. Additionally, while the bill has passed the House, the final outcome depends on whether the Senate will approve a similar bill, and how courts might address legal challenges regarding the broad "collecting or handling" language. The backstory The ballot-initiative process has long been an essential tool for Floridians to amend the state Constitution, particularly when lawmakers have refused to act on certain issues. However, the process has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years, especially after high-profile failed initiatives, such as those attempting to legalize abortion and recreational marijuana. Governor Ron DeSantis has made cracking down on the initiative process a key priority, citing concerns over fraud and corporate influence in the system. What they're saying Bill sponsor Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, said the state's ballot-initiative system "is broken," and the proposed changes aim to fix what she called a "quality control problem." "We've seen widespread and rampant fraud in this state in this process. We have evidence that we can't turn a blind eye to. We must take further action," Persons-Mulicka said. But in opposing the bill, Democrats pointed to a number of initiatives that have received voter approval, including raising the minimum wage, ensuring free pre-kindergarten for children and restoring voting rights to felons who've completed their sentences. "The process is working. It is not broken. The bad actors are being caught. Stop putting up these hurdles and protect the people," Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, said. The legislation equates to "a death knell for our citizen-led ballot initiatives in Florida," Rep. Lindsay Cross, D-St. Petersburg, said. "This process is already timely, expensive and a very heavy lift. Well, this bill will take the bar from very high to all but impossible," she added. Rep. Griff Griffitts, R-Panama City Beach, urged House members to support the bill. "The Constitution shouldn't be easy to change," Griffitts argued. "The integrity is gone. Corporate interests have driven this debate. The money has driven this debate." But Democrats argued that Florida already has one of the country's strictest ballot-initiative processes. "They are trying to make it impossible for everyday Floridians to put citizen-led amendments on the ballot. They don't want us to be able to directly pass policies that we know our communities need," Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida, told reporters before Thursday's House floor session. Supporters of proposed constitutional amendments often submit more signatures than are needed to get on the ballot, with the expectation that some will be rejected. The proposed 90 percent validation rate poses a virtually insurmountable hurdle, critics argue. The measure would allow any voter to challenge the certification of ballot placement in circuit court and give the Legislature more power to carry out constitutional amendments that pass. "If the text of a constitutional amendment proposed by initiative does not define the terms of art used throughout the amendment or describe any newly created rights, requirements, prohibitions, or authorizations, the Legislature is presumed to have the authority to define such terms and describe such rights, requirements, prohibitions, or authorizations," the bill says. What's next The House passed the bill along party lines in a 76-31 vote. The bill now moves to the Senate, where a similar bill (SB 7016) is expected to be reviewed. If passed, the bill could significantly alter the process for future constitutional amendments. Legal challenges are likely to follow, especially regarding the proposed changes to signature collection and penalties. If enacted, the law could further restrict the ability of Floridians to use the initiative process to make constitutional changes. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by The News Service of Florida.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Draconian restrictions on citizen-led amendments pass Florida House
The Financial Impact Estimating Conference discusses on July 1, 2024, the financial analysis of the abortion-rights amendment. Chief economist Amy Baker is at left. (Screenshot from Florida Channel) The Republican controlled Florida House of Representatives has passed a measure that will make it prohibitively harder for a citizen-led constitutional amendment to get on the ballot. The vote was for 76-31. Its passage comes just four months after two constitutional amendments that would have respectively enshrined abortion rights and legalized recreational cannabis for adults narrowly fell short of passage. The bill (HB 1205), sponsored by Lee County Republican Jenna Persons-Mulicka, includes a number of provisions that Democrats and voting-rights advocates say could essentially kill most attempts to place citizen-led constitutional amendments on future ballots. At the heart of the argument by advocates is the need to prevent fraud. The Office of Election Crimes and Security published a report in January asserting that more than 100 representatives of the group attempting to pass the abortion-rights last year committed crimes related to gathering petitions. And last week the Office of Election Crimes and Security informed Smart & Safe Florida, the group working to get a constitutional amendment regarding the adult use of cannabis on the 2026 ballot, that the Division of Elections was fining them $121,850 for allegedly submitting petitions more than 30 days after voters signed them — a violation of existing law. 'We have seen widespread and rampant fraud in this state and in this process,' said Persons-Mulicka. 'We have evidence that we cannot take a blind eye to. We must take further action to put integrity back into the initiative process.' Among the most contentious provisions is a requirement that the state Office of Elections Crimes and Security investigate if more than 10% of submitted petitions during any reporting period are deemed invalid. The requirement amounts to a 90% validity rate, which Democrats say is impossible to overcome. Orlando Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani offered an amendment to reduce the percentage of submitted petitions deemed invalid to trigger an investigation to a 60% validity rate. It was struck down. Other provisions include: Requiring the petition sponsor to post a $1 million bond payable to the Division of Elections once the sponsor has obtained a letter from the department confirming that 25% of the requisite number of signatures has been obtained. If a person who is collecting or handling initiatives petitions is found to not be a U.S. citizen or has been convicted of a felony without having his right to vote restored, the petition sponsor is liable for a $50,000 fine for each person. The bill revises the deadline by which petitions must be delivered by the sponsor to a supervisor of elections from 30 days to 10 days and increases the fines from a $50 flat fee for each late petition form to $50 for each day late for a total fine of up to $2,500 per late petition form. If the sponsor or petition circulator acted 'willfully,' the bill increases the penalty from $250 for each petition form to $2,500. The bill requires all petition circulators — volunteers as well as paid staffers — to be residents of Florida. It says that before a paid petition circulator is registered, he or she must submit to a criminal background check to be paid for by the applicant or petition sponsor. Removes the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research from the Financial Impact Estimating Conference, which prepares financial impact statements to accompany any proposed constitutional amendment. (The sitting coordinator of the office, Florida chief economist Amy Baker, is the only member of the Financial Impact Estimating Conference not directly appointed by a Republican politician). To get a proposed amendment by initiative on the general election ballot, currently a petition must be signed by 891,589 voters and the signatures must come from at least half of Florida's 28 congressional districts. To pass, it must win 60% support from the voters. During debate on the House floor, Broward County Democratic Rep. Robin Bartleman argued it would be unfair to make an onerous process even harder to accomplish. 'You are shutting out our fellow Floridians,' she said. 'If we really are about the free state of Florida — which is we always like to say we are — then it's our duty that the power remains in the hands of the people. Every hurdle that you are putting up here today takes it out of their hands. Our citizen-led constitutional amendment provision is already the strictest in the country.' Before the floor debate, voting rights groups held a news conference in the Fourth Floor rotunda of the Capitol, where they blasted the bill as 'undemocratic.' 'They are trying to silence us,' said Amy Keith with Common Cause Florida. 'They are trying to make it impossible for everyday Floridians to put citizen-led amendments on the ballot. They don't want us to be able to directly pass policies that we know our communities need. They think that they have the right to silence us but we are here to say, 'No.'' 'Why are the legislators afraid of the average citizen talking to their neighbor?' said Cecile Scoon, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. 'Who are the legislators listening to? It appears when you look at these bills to limit citizen's constitutional amendment process, they're listening to big companies, they're making it so that only big money can use the citizen process, which is supposed to be for the everyday person.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Citizenship-verification voting bill clears its first House committee stop
A banner advertising voting hangs outside the Leon County Courthouse on Aug. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) An election measure raising citizenship-related roadblocks to voter eligibility won approval in a Florida House committee on Tuesday, but not before receiving criticism from members of he public — some who thought it is far too restrictive, and others who thought it isn't tough enough. Fort Myers Republican Jenna Persons-Mulicka presented her bill (HB 1381) before the House Government Operations Subcommittee. It now has two more stops before going to the floor. A variety of bills in the Senate carry some of its provisions, although perhaps the most similar, proposed by GOP Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (SB 1414), has yet to be heard in any committee. Persons-Mulicka noted that her measure is in part a response to the executive order published last week by President Donald Trump that would require prospective voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. 'This bill fully answers the president,' she said. The measure contains numerous provisions ostensibly to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote. It says that if an applicant has not provided the necessary evidence of their legal status, or is not verified before the applicant requests a vote-by-mail ballot or presents to vote, the applicant must be provided a provisional ballot that can be counted only if they confirm their legal status by 5 p.m. on the Thursday after a Tuesday election. The bill also says that a supervisor of elections must remove the name of a deceased voter from the voter rolls within seven days if they receive a copy of a death certificate or a published obituary or notice of death, a letter of probate or estate administration, or 'personal knowledge' of a registered voter's death. The state's division of elections office can use lists from federal agencies or other state governments to remove voters from the rolls. It requires jury coordinators for federal jury duty to create a list of those disqualified for not being U.S. citizens and to provide it to the Florida Division of Elections according to the jury summons cycle used by the court clerk. Eliminates certain categories of voter identification options such as student identification, debit or credit cards, and retirement cards. Changes from 'challenge' to 'protest' voter challenges of vote-by-mail ballots. In a manual review of ballots open to the public, the bill says that each political party may designate one person with 'expertise in the computer field' who must be allowed in the central counting room where all tests are being conducted and where the official votes are being counted. Requires all voting to be by paper ballot, unless a person with a disability requires a voter-interface device. Would make Florida first state in the nation to require an automated, independent vote validation process for every ballot cast in every election before certification. Cathi Chamberlain, who works with 'voting integrity' advocates skeptical of election security, complained the proposal 'does not go far enough,' preferring a bill presented by Pinellas Republican Rep. Berny Jacques. 'We believe it still does not fully align with President Trump's executive order,' she said. 'It does not remove and prosecute noncitizens already on our voting rolls. It does not address vote by mail or technology security.' Jonathan Webber, policy director with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the measure was a voter suppression bill. 'Millions of our family members, friends, and neighbors lived through Jim Crow,' he said. 'Poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation used to silence Black voters across the Deep South. Not because they weren't citizens, but because the system was built to block their voices. This amendment continues that legacy, just with cleaner language and more paperwork.' Karen Jaroch of Heritage Action called it an 'excellent bill.' 'The amended bill 1381 delivers targeted reforms that rebuild voter trust,' she said. 'Voter roll accuracy is also important. Section 6 authorizes data sharing with other states to purge deceased or ineligible voters. And Section 8 leverages federal jury data to flag ineligible voters. That's smart practical reforms to protect every lawful vote.' Pasco County Republican Rep. Jeff Holcomb argued the proposal is necessary. 'The threat is real because of illegals voting,' he said. Broward County Democratic Rep. Darryl Campbell disagreed, saying the measure wasn't about fraud, but about fear. Orlando Democratic Rep. LaVon Bracy later attempted to introduce an amendment that would essentially wipe out Persons-Mulicka's bill and insert her own proposal (HB 1409), which included automatic registration for eligible Floridians to vote when they interact with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), unless they opt-out. Her amendment also included a centralized database for returning citizens to determine voter eligibility; permanent vote-by-mail requests; and would allow eligible voters to register to vote at any time, up to and including Election Day. The committee voted down her amendment along party lines. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida House to take up controversial bill that places new restrictions on ballot initiatives
The Florida House on Thursday will take up a controversial proposal that would place additional restrictions on ballot initiatives. The proposal, sponsored by Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, emerged after fierce political battles last year over proposed constitutional amendments on abortion rights and recreational marijuana . Backers of the proposals spent more than $100 million on each of the initiatives, which fell short of garnering the 60 percent voter approval needed to pass. The House bill would impose new restrictions on petition signature gatherers and the groups that back ballot initiatives. The proposal, for example, would require signature gatherers to be residents of Florida and the U.S. Also, one of the most contentious parts of the bill would shorten from 30 days to 10 days the length of time signature gatherers would have to submit petitions to supervisors of elections and increase penalties for late-filed petitions. The proposal also would require voters to provide identifying information, such as their driver's license numbers, when signing petitions. The House will consider the bill during a floor session that also will include numerous other issues, including legislation to carry out President Donald Trump's order to change the name of the Gulf Of Mexico to the Gulf of America .
CBS News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida House to take up controversial ballot initiative bill
The Florida House on Thursday will take up a controversial proposal that would place additional restrictions on ballot initiatives. The proposal, sponsored by Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, emerged after fierce political battles last year over proposed constitutional amendments on abortion rights and recreational marijuana . Backers of the proposals spent more than $100 million on each of the initiatives, which fell short of garnering the 60 percent voter approval needed to pass. The House bill would impose new restrictions on petition signature gatherers and the groups that back ballot initiatives. The proposal, for example, would require signature gatherers to be residents of Florida and the U.S. Also, one of the most contentious parts of the bill would shorten from 30 days to 10 days the length of time signature gatherers would have to submit petitions to supervisors of elections and increase penalties for late-filed petitions. The proposal also would require voters to provide identifying information, such as their driver's license numbers, when signing petitions. The House will consider the bill during a floor session that also will include numerous other issues, including legislation to carry out President Donald Trump's order to change the name of the Gulf Of Mexico to the Gulf of America .
