Florida Property Rights and Illegal Aliens Act, Amendment 1 (2008)
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Florida Amendment 1, also known as the Property Rights and Illegal Aliens Act, was a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment on the November 4, 2008 election ballot in Florida, where it was defeated.
- The amendment modified Article I, Section 2 of the Florida Constitution to delete a provision allowing the legislature to regulate property rights of aliens not eligible for citizenship.[1]
- The amendment was largely described as a clean-up measure for the Florida Constitution, deleting regressive and outdated language.
Election results
| Florida Amendment 1 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 3,871,704 | 52.07% | ||
| Yes | 3,564,090 | 47.93% | ||
Election Results via: Florida Department of State Division of Elections
Text of measure
The ballot title read:
| “ | DECLARATION OF RIGHTS[1] | ” |
The ballot summary read:
| “ | Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to delete provisions authorizing the Legislature to regulate or prohibit the ownership, inheritance, disposition, and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship.[1] | ” |
Constitutional changes
The text of the amendment read:
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DECLARATION OF RIGHTS SECTION 2. Basic rights. -- All natural persons, female and male alike, are equal before the law and have inalienable rights, among which are the right to enjoy and defend life and liberty, to pursue happiness, to be rewarded for industry, and to acquire, possess and protect property |
Support
Supporter
- The Organization of Chinese Americans, a non-profit group and minority rights advocate[2]
- Florida League of Women Voters[3]
Arguments
- The measure would removed an outdated and discriminatory passage from Florida's constitution.[4]
Opposition
Arguments
- There is no present Florida statute prohibiting ownership of property by aliens ineligible for citizenship.[4]
Media editorial positions
Support
- Gainesville Sun[3]
Path to the ballot
- Article 1, Sec. 2 of Florida’s constitution contains regressive language that authorizes the Legislature "to regulate or prohibit the ownership, inheritance, disposition and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship."[3] This measure was to remove that language.
- It was placed on the ballot on May 18, 2007.
See also
- 2008 ballot measures
- Florida 2008 ballot measures
- List of Florida ballot measures
- Florida 2008 citizen initiatives
- Florida ballot initiative news
- Procedures for qualifying an initiative in Florida
- Laws governing the initiative process in Florida
- Campaign finance requirements for Florida ballot measures
External links
- 2008 Florida constitutional amendments voter booklet
- Full text of the initiative
- Sample ballot (Monroe County)
- Florida Department of State
- OCA Supporters
References
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