Florida Amendment 5, Two-Thirds Vote of Legislature to Increase Taxes or Fees Amendment (2018)

Elections in Florida, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
• Early voting: Oct. 27 - Nov. 3
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Florida Amendment 5
Election date November 6, 2018
Topic State legislatures measures and Taxes
Status a Approved
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature
List of Florida measuresFlorida Amendment 1Florida Amendment 2Florida Amendment 3Florida Amendment 4Florida Amendment 5Florida Amendment 6Florida Amendment 7Florida Amendment 9Florida Amendment 10Florida Amendment 11Florida Amendment 12Florida Amendment 13Submit

Florida Amendment 5, the Two-Thirds Vote of Legislature to Increase Taxes or Fees Amendment, was on the ballot in Florida as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported requiring a two-thirds vote of each chamber of the Florida State Legislature to enact new taxes or fees or increase existing ones.

A "no" vote opposed the amendment, thus allowing the state legislature to continue to enact new taxes or fees or increase existing ones, except the corporate income tax, through a simple majority vote.

Supermajority requirement: A 60 percent supermajority vote was required for the approval of Amendment 5.

Election results

Florida Amendment 5
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		5,164,658	65.73%
No		2,693,174	34.27%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

How did the amendment get on the ballot?

On January 9, 2018, Republican Gov. Rick Scott, in his last State of the State address, called on the state legislature to pass a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote to increase taxes. The legislature passed the amendment, which was enrolled as Amendment 5. The Florida House of Representatives approved the amendment 80-29, with the support of 70 Republicans and 10 Democrats. The Florida State Senate approved the amendment 25-13. Republicans controlled 23 Senate seats; however, one Republican voted against the amendment. Three Democrats joined with Republicans to pass the amendment, sending Amendment 5 to the ballot.

What did the amendment change?

Amendment 5 required a two-thirds vote of each chamber of the Florida State Legislature to enact new taxes or fees or increase existing ones. As of 2018, the state legislature was allowed to enact new taxes or fees or increase existing ones, except the corporate income tax, through a simple majority vote in each chamber. Voters approved an amendment for the corporate income tax, with a three-fifths vote requirement to increase the tax above 5.0 percent, in 1971. The passage of Amendment 5 meant that a tax or fee could not be increased along a party-line vote, unless a single party controlled 27 seats in the state Senate and 80 seats in the state House. In 2018, Republicans controlled a majority of seats, but less than two-thirds of seats, in each chamber.

Amendment 5 also required that a bill enacting a new or increasing an existing tax or fee contain no other subject.

Did other states have a similar requirement?

As of 2018, 15 states require a supermajority vote for at least some tax increases. Seven of the states requires a two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote to enact or increase taxes. Five states require a lower threshold of three-fifths (60.00 percent). Three states require a higher threshold of three-fourths (75.00 percent) to enact or increase taxes. The remaining states did not have a supermajority vote requirement to enact or increase taxes.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:

“

SUPERMAJORITY VOTE REQUIRED TO IMPOSE, AUTHORIZE, OR RAISE STATE TAXES OR FEES.

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:

“

Prohibits the legislature from imposing, authorizing, or raising a state tax or fee except through legislation approved by a two-thirds vote of each house of the legislature in a bill containing no other subject. This proposal does not authorize a state tax or fee otherwise prohibited by the Constitution and does not apply to fees or taxes imposed or authorized to be imposed by a county, municipality, school board, or special district.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article VII, Florida Constitution

The measure added a Section 19 to Article VII of the Florida Constitution. The following text was added:

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

SECTION 19. Supermajority vote required to impose, authorize, or raise state taxes or fees.—

(a) SUPERMAJORITY VOTE REQUIRED TO IMPOSE OR AUTHORIZE NEW STATE TAX OR FEE. No new state tax or fee may be imposed or authorized by the legislature except through legislation approved by two-thirds of the membership of each house of the legislature and presented to the Governor for approval pursuant to Article III, Section 8.

(b) SUPERMAJORITY VOTE REQUIRED TO RAISE STATE TAXES OR FEES. No state tax or fee may be raised by the legislature except through legislation approved by two-thirds of the membership of each house of the legislature and presented to the Governor for approval pursuant to Article III, Section 8.

(c) APPLICABILITY. This section does not authorize the imposition of any state tax or fee otherwise prohibited by this Constitution, and does not apply to any tax or fee imposed by, or authorized to be imposed by, a county, municipality, school board, or special district.

(d) DEFINITIONS. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) "Fee" means any charge or payment required by law, including any fee for service, fee or cost for licenses, and charge for service.

(2) "Raise" means:

a. To increase or authorize an increase in the rate of a state tax or fee imposed on a percentage or per mill basis;

b. To increase or authorize an increase in the amount of a state tax or fee imposed on a flat or fixed amount basis; or

c. To decrease or eliminate a state tax or fee exemption or credit.

(e) SINGLE-SUBJECT. A state tax or fee imposed, authorized, or raised under this section must be contained in a separate bill that contains no other subject.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The Florida State Legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure. The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 16, and the FRE is 33. The word count for the ballot title is 85, and the estimated reading time is 22 seconds. In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here. During the 10-year period from 1997 to 2007, political scientists Shauna Reilly and Sean Richey found that average Florida ballot title score was equivalent to 17 years of U.S. formal education.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• Gov. Rick Scott (R)
• House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-37)
• Rep. Tom Leek (R-25)
• Rep. Kionne McGhee (D-117)
• Rep. Dane Eagle (R-77)
• Rep. Larry Metz (R-32)
• Sen. Rob Bradley (R-5)

Organizations

• Florida TaxWatch
• Florida Chamber of Commerce
• Republican Party of Palm Beach County
• Libertarian Party of Florida
• Florida Family Policy Council
• Tampa Bay Young Republicans

Arguments

• House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-37) said, "We should always make it much more difficult to raise taxes than it is to cut them. This amendment will secure and protect that legacy from future legislatures bent on raising taxes."
• Rep. Tom Leek (R-25), a legislative sponsor of the amendment, stated, "I believe that taking a citizen's hard earned money should not be taken lightly."
• Rep. Kionne McGhee (D-117), who voted for the amendment, said, "Politicians should not have the authority to raise taxes when they feel like it. There should be a higher threshold."
• Sen. Rob Bradley (R-5), a proponent of the amendment, said, “It should be difficult to raise taxes. We want to make it as difficult as possible."
• Lew Uhler, president of the National Tax Limitation Committee, said, "The amendment obviously is designed to raise the threshold for big spenders to increase taxes and tax rates. In a state like Florida, where you have no personal income tax, there is an effort to raise other taxes, so this is a proper defense mechanism. The requirement to reach that two-thirds threshold will force legislatures to think through the incentives for tax-raising."

Opposition

Opponents

Officials

• Rep. Joseph Geller (D-100)
• Rep. Sean Shaw (D-61)
• Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D)
• Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez (D-27)

Organizations

• League of Women Voters of Florida
• Florida Policy Institute
• Progress Florida
• Florida Education Association
• Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida

Arguments

• The League of Women Voters of Florida argued, "This amendment does not include a provision that would allow for tax increases in times of emergencies (hurricane, floods, recession, etc.) and is an abrogation of the Legislature’s fiduciary responsibility to pass a reasonable budget."
• Rep. Joseph Geller (D-100) stated, "I think this is a short-sighted idea. There's simply no need for this. Have some confidence in the people who will sit in these seats after you are gone."
• Rep. Sean Shaw (D-61) said, "Each and every Session, there’s a different tension between taxes and revenue and what we want to spend money on and what we don’t. I’m no smarter than someone who’s going to come here 10 years from now to vote. And so I don’t think I ought to have more power than that person that sits in this seat 10 years from now to vote. They should be able to vote up or down on tax policy, up and down on revenues, just like I do."
• Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez (D-27) said, "This legislature would be constrained from raising funds going into the future but when it comes time — like this legislature does every year — to carve special exemptions out of the tax base, there would not be a heightened threshold. What that does is make our tax code more and more and more regressive."
• Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) said, “It’s very clear that they’re getting ready for when they’re out of power, and trying to stack the deck now as much as possible. Everything we have proposed hinges on our ability to defeat this. “What they want to do is pass this measure now so they’ll be able to jam a Democratic governor by forcing votes that will require Republican participation. We have to do everything we can to make sure this does not go through.”
• Elaine Maag, a senior research associate at the Tax Policy Center said, "These supermajority rules make policymaking incredibly difficult. If a state can’t increase spending because of these very high bars for raising taxes, they can’t expand programs even if people in the state want them.”

Media editorials

See also: 2018 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

• Your Observer said: "This amendment passes both of our tests: It will limit government power, which means it also will increase individual liberty. Nothing more needs to be said. Except …You’re likely to hear opponents to this measure say state lawmakers should be afforded flexibility — especially in times of financial crises, such as economic recessions. Don’t buy it. This measure won’t prohibit the Legislature from spending. Indeed, over the past five years, while the Legislature cut taxes, it also increased spending 31%, almost twice the national state average of 18%. Here’s a proven fact: States with falling tax burdens always show faster economic growth and higher per-capita income growth than states with rising tax burdens. As long as Florida remains a low-tax state, the economy will continue to grow, generating more and more revenue for the government, negating the need for tax increases. We recommend: Vote yes."

Opposition

• The Sun-Sentinel said: "We recommend NO — emphatically. It requires two-thirds supermajorities in the Florida House and Senate to raise state taxes or fees, adopt new ones or reduce or eliminate any tax exemption. House Speaker Richard Corcoran muscled this through the Legislature when he was planning to run for governor. It would give a minority of the Legislature a permanent stranglehold on Florida’s future, condemn the schools and colleges to eternal mediocrity, and thrust ever-increasing burdens on local governments. This is the worst amendment to come from the Legislature in the 51 years since the court-ordered end of malapportionment, which allowed rural counties with fewer than 18 percent of the people to elect majorities of both houses. South Florida needs the state to invest in big-ticket items to address sea-level rise and traffic congestion. If this amendment passes, inland or small counties could dictate what happens in coastal or urban counties, the drivers of our state’s economy."

• The News-Press said: "No on Amendment 5: This amendment would require a two-thirds vote in the Florida House and Senate to raise taxes, but the amendment does not have enough teeth. The reason: your counties and cities, as well as school districts and other special districts, control most of your tax dollars. The amendment also stops a typical legislative technique of adding tax and fee increases onto other legislative bills, but the House and Senate are usually creative enough to find ways to add those fees."

• The Tampa Bay Times said: "This measure would make it harder for future legislatures to raise or impose taxes by requiring a two-thirds vote rather than a simple majority. The likely effect would be to make it nearly impossible to raise taxes even in times of crisis. On Amendment 5, the Tampa Bay Times recommends voting No."

• The Naples Daily News said: "Amendment 5 would require a two-thirds vote in both the Florida House and Senate to raise taxes or fees, not just a majority. This historically hasn’t been an issue so arguably it’s an amendment put on a crowded ballot by state lawmakers in an election year. More important than this amendment is for state leaders to adhere to the land acquisition funding formula voters passed, adequately fund traditional public schools, stop raiding affordable housing trust funds and fix Florida’s embarrassing No. 50 ranking in per capita mental health funding."

• The Tallahassee Democrat said: "[Amendments 5, 7, 10, 12, and 13] are the detritus of the Constitution Revision Commission, with little or no impact on the lives of average Floridians, the kind of multi-tasking snowballing the CRC littered its amendments with — unrelated topics cobbled together in take-it-or-leave-it propositions. For most of them, we say leave it."

• The Treasure Coast Newspapers said: "It would allow the minority to kill a proposal, awarding a relatively small number of lawmakers power over the entire 160-member Legislature."

Additional editorial endorsements

In addition to the above editorial endorsements, the following outlets have also endorsed a no vote on the measure:

• The Florida Times-Union
• The Herald-Tribune
• The Daily Commercial
• The Independent Florida Alligator
• Orlando Sentinel
• The Miami Herald

Campaign finance

Total campaign contributions:
Support:	$0.00
Opposition:	$0.00

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Florida ballot measures

There were no ballot measure committees registered in support of the measure or in opposition to the measure.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

The following poll was conducted by Cherry Communications and commissioned by the Florida Chamber of Commerce to gauge voter support and opposition toward the amendments on Florida's 2018 ballot. A total of 605 likely voters were polled, including 237 Republicans, 249 Democrats, and 119 others.

Support and Opposition for Amendment 5
Poll	Support	Oppose	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Florida Chamber of Commerce Poll 5/25/18 - 6/2/18	34%	36%	30%	+/-4.0	605
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Background

Supermajority requirements for taxes

As of 2018, fifteen (15) states require a supermajority vote for at least some statewide tax increases, and one state (Colorado) requires voter approval for tax increases. This section is referring to tax increases at the state level and does not include requirements for local tax increases. The following map illustrates the vote requirement to increase taxes in the states:

Seven of the states requires a two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote to enact or increase taxes. Five states require a lower threshold of three-fifths (60.00 percent). Three states require a higher threshold of three-fourths (75.00 percent) to enact or increase taxes. In Colorado, state taxes cannot be increased without voter approval except in cases of emergency, when the legislature can increases taxes by a two-thirds vote. The following table illustrates these requirements:

State	Year	Vote	Application
Arizona	1992	2/3	All taxes
Arkansas	1934	3/4	All taxes except sales and alcohol
California	1979	2/3	All taxes
Colorado	1992	Voter approval	All taxes
Delaware	1980	3/5	All taxes
Florida	1971	3/5	Corporate income tax
Kentucky	2000	3/5	All taxes
Louisiana	1966	2/3	All taxes
Michigan	1994	3/4	State property tax
Mississippi	1970	3/5	All taxes
Missouri	1996	2/3	All taxes
Nevada	1996	2/3	All taxes
Oklahoma	1992	3/4	All taxes
Oregon	1996	3/5	All taxes
South Dakota	1996	2/3	All taxes
Wisconsin	2011	2/3	Sales, income, and franchise taxes

Ballot measures on supermajority requirements for taxes

See also: Taxes on the ballot and Supermajority requirements on the ballot

Ballotpedia has identified 15 ballot measures related to legislative supermajority requirements to enact or increase taxes. Of the 15 ballot measures, 13 were approved—although courts in Washington overturned three approved initiatives—and two were defeated at the ballot box.

State	Year	Measure	Vote	Application	Status
Florida	1971	Amendment 1	3/5	Corporate income tax	Approved a
California	1978	Proposition 13	2/3	All taxes	Approved a
Ohio	1983	Amendment 2	3/5	All taxes	Defeated d
Arizona	1992	Proposition 108	2/3	All taxes	Approved a
Oklahoma	1992	Question 640	3/4	All taxes	Approved a
Michigan	1994	Proposal A	3/4	State property tax	Approved a
Nevada	1994	Question 11	2/3	All taxes	Approved a
Oregon	1996	Measure 25	3/5	All taxes	Approved a
Nevada	1996	Question 11	2/3	All taxes	Approved a
South Dakota	1996	Amendment B	2/3	All taxes	Approved a
Iowa	1999	Amendment 2	3/5	Sales and income taxes	Defeated d
Washington	2007	Initiative 960	2/3	All taxes	Overturned ot
California	2010	Proposition 26	2/3	All taxes	Approved a
Washington	2010	Initiative 1053	2/3	All taxes	Overturned ot
Washington	2012	Initiative 1185	2/3	All taxes	Overturned ot

Corporate income tax

As of 2018, the Florida State Legislature needed a three-fifths vote (60.00 percent) of each chamber to increase the corporate income tax above 5.0 percent. The vote requirement was passed in 1971, when voters approved a constitutional amendment to allow the state to enact a corporate income tax. As of 2018, the corporate income tax rate was 5.5 percent. The state legislature increased the tax rate to 5.5 percent in 1984, requiring a three-fifths vote in each chamber. In 1984, Democrats had a trifecta in state government, meaning Democrats controlled both chambers of the state legislature and governor's office.

Voter approval of amendments increasing taxes

In 1996, voters approved a constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds (66.67%) vote at the ballot to increase taxes through a legislative referral or citizen's initiative. The measure received the support of 69.3 percent of voters. As of 2018, there had been no constitutional amendments to increase taxes since before 1996.

Ballot measures to cap, limit, or restrict taxes in 2018

See also: Taxes on the ballot

In 2018, voters in six states considered ballot measures to cap, limit, or restrict types of taxes. In Oregon and Washington, voters decided ballot initiatives to prohibit governments from enacting taxes on groceries. Oregan voters rejected the grocery tax ban. In Washington, the measure was ahead by 5 percentage points with 64 percent of precincts reporting.

In Arizona, an initiative to prohibit new taxes or increased tax rates on services was approved. Voters in California defeated an initiated measure to require voter approval for the state legislature to impose, increase, or extend fuel taxes or vehicle fees in the future. It would have also repealed a gas tax increase passed in 2017.

Legislatures in Florida and North Carolina referred constitutional amendments capping taxes to the ballot and both were approved. Voters in Florida and Oregon also considered ballot measures to require supermajorities of the state legislature to increase taxes. In Florida, the measure was approved, and, in Oregon, it was defeated.

An additional initiative qualified for the ballot in California but was withdrawn after proponents agreed to a compromise bill with legislators to keep the initiative off the ballot. The initiative would have required a two-thirds vote of the electorate on all local taxes, including soda taxes. The compromise legislation prohibited local soda taxes until 2031.

Measure	Origin	Description	Status
Arizona Proposition 126	Initiative	Prohibits the state and local governments from enacting new taxes or increasing tax rates on services	a
California Proposition 6	Initiative	Requires voter approval for the state legislature to impose, increase, or extend fuel taxes or vehicle fees in the future	d
Florida Amendment 2	Legislature	Makes permanent the cap of 10 percent on annual nonhomestead parcel assessment increases set to expire	a
Florida Amendment 5	Legislature	Requires a two-thirds vote of each chamber of the state legislature to enact new taxes or fees or increase existing ones	a
North Carolina Amendment	Legislature	Lowers the maximum allowable state income tax rate from 10 percent to 7 percent	a
Oregon Measure 103	Initiative	Prohibits state and local governments from enacting taxes on groceries	d
Oregon Measure 104	Initiative	Requires a three-fifths vote of each chamber of the state legislature to increase revenue, such as via increasing taxes and decreasing tax exemptions	d
Washington Initiative 1634	Initiative	Prohibits local governments from enacting taxes on groceries	a

Referred amendments on the ballot

From 1996 through 2016, the Florida State Legislature referred 38 constitutional amendments to the ballot. Voters approved 25 and rejected 13 of the referred amendments. All of the amendments were referred to the ballot for elections during even-numbered election years. The average number of amendments appearing on even-year ballots was between three and four. In 2016, three referred amendments were on the ballot. The approval rate of referred amendments at the ballot box was 65.8 percent during the 20-year period from 1996 through 2016. The rejection rate was 34.2 percent.

Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, 1996-2016
Total number	Approved	Percent approved	Defeated	Percent defeated	Annual average	Annual median	Annual minimum	Annual maximum
38	25	65.79%	13	34.21%	3.45	3.00	0	11

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Florida Constitution

In Florida, a constitutional amendment must be passed by a 60 percent vote in each house of the Florida State Legislature during one legislative session.

On January 9, 2018, Republican Gov. Rick Scott, in his last State of the State address, called on the state legislature to pass a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote to increase taxes. He said, "It is during times of economic downturn where this proposal is needed the most. It will force leaders to contemplate living within their means rather than taking the easy way out and just sticking it to the public by raising taxes on families and job creators."

The measure was introduced into the state legislature as House Joint Resolution 7001 (HJR 7001) on November 8, 2017. The Florida House of Representatives approved the amendment 80 to 29 with seven members not voting and four vacancies on January 25, 2018. The minimum number of votes required to pass the amendment was 72.

Senate President Joe Negron (R-25) said he expected the proposal to receive support in the state Senate. He said, "We know that’s a strong priority of the governor, and something that the speaker has also made a priority. So I think you’ll see that legislation move forward in plenty of time to get it in front of the Senate."

On March 5, 2018, the Florida State Senate approved the amendment 25 to 13. The minimum number of votes needed was 23. Republicans controlled 23 seats; however, Sen. Tom Lee (R-20) voted against the amendment, meaning at least one Democrat needed to join Republicans to approve the measure. Three Democrats—Sens. Linda Stewart (D-13), Bobby Powell Jr. (D-30), and Lauren Book (D-32)—joined with Republicans to pass the amendment, sending the measure to the ballot.

Vote in the Florida House of Representatives January 25, 2018
Requirement: Three-fifths (60 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 72  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	80	29	11
Total percent	66.67%	24.17%	9.17%
Democrat	10	29	1
Republican	70	0	6

Vote in the Florida State Senate March 5, 2018
Requirement: Three-fifths (60 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 23  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	25	13	0
Total percent	65.79%	34.21%	0.00%
Democrat	3	12	0
Republican	22	1	0

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Florida

Poll times

In Florida, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Florida is divided between the Eastern and Central time zones. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Florida, one must be at least 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States, and a legal resident of Florida and the county in which he or she intends to vote. Pre-registration is available beginning at 16 years of age.

Voters may retrieve registration applications at the following locations:

• Local elections offices
• Public assistance agencies
• Disability services agencies
• Independent living centers
• Military recruitment offices
• Public libraries
• Drivers license office
• Tax collector's office
• The office of any entity authorized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to issue fishing, hunting, or trapping permits

A registration form is also available online. The form can be printed and submitted via mail.

Click here to find your county Supervisor of Elections.

Automatic registration

Florida does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Florida has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Voters may also apply for or modify their voter registration status while renewing their driver's license through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ online renewal system here.

Same-day registration

Florida does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Florida, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Florida does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "it is a 3rd degree felony to submit false information."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The page Voter Information Lookup, run by the Florida Department of State, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Florida requires voters to present photo identification with a signature while voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2024. Click here for the Florida Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

• Florida driver’s license
• Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• United States passport
• Debit or credit card
• Military identification
• Student identification
• Retirement center identification
• Neighborhood association identification
• Public assistance identification
• Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
• License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06
• Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the federal government, the state, a county, or a municipality

A voter who presents an ID without a signature must show a second form of identification that includes the voter’s signature.

State profile

Demographic data for Florida
	Florida	U.S.
Total population:	20,244,914	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	53,625	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	76%	73.6%
Black/African American:	16.1%	12.6%
Asian:	2.6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.4%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	23.7%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	86.9%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	27.3%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$47,507	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	19.8%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Florida. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Florida

Florida voted Republican in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Florida, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Florida had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respsectively.

More Florida coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Florida
• United States congressional delegations from Florida
• Public policy in Florida
• Endorsers in Florida
• Florida fact checks
• More...

See also

2018 measures

• 2018 ballot measures
• State legislatures measures on the ballot
• Taxes on the ballot

Florida

• Florida ballot measures
• Florida ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• HJR 7001