Florida Prayer in Schools Initiative (2026)
| Florida Prayer in Schools Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2026 | |
| Topic Religion and Education | |
| Status Cleared for signature gathering | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
The Florida Prayer in Schools Initiative (Initiative #22-01) may appear on the ballot in Florida as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.
Measure design
The initiative would amend Section 3 of Article I of the Florida Constitution to state that "prayer is not an expression of religion or denomination" and that "prayer in schools supports freedom of speech" and "is a devotion necessary to advance our children." As of 2022, Section 3 of the state constitution said, "There shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. Religious freedom shall not justify practices inconsistent with public morals, peace or safety. No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution."[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title is as follows:[1]
| “ | Prayer Back in Schools[2] | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary is as follows:[1]
| “ | Introduce Prayer as a concept of mind, body, and spirit as wholeness in humanity. Prayer is a catalyst and supports guidance and stability during conflict and uncertainty. Restore hope, joy, and self-worth, eradicating bullying, inequality, and discrimination.[2] | ” |
Full text
The full text can be accessed here.
Sponsors
Write the Vision PC sponsored the initiative.[1]
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Florida, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8% of the votes cast in the preceding presidential election. Florida also has a signature distribution requirement, which requires that signatures equaling at least 8% of the district-wide vote in the last presidential election be collected from at least half (14) of the state's 28 congressional districts. Signatures remain valid until February 1 of an even-numbered year.[3] Signatures must be verified by February 1 of the general election year the initiative aims to appear on the ballot.
Proposed measures are reviewed by the state attorney general and state supreme court after proponents collect 25% of the required signatures across the state in each of one-half of the state's congressional districts (222,898 signatures for 2024 ballot measures). After these preliminary signatures have been collected, the secretary of state must submit the proposal to the Florida Attorney General and the Financial Impact Estimating Conference (FIEC). The attorney general is required to petition the Florida Supreme Court for an advisory opinion on the measure's compliance with the single-subject rule, the appropriateness of the title and summary, and whether or not the measure "is facially invalid under the United States Constitution."[4]
The requirements to get an initiative certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 880,062 valid signatures is required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification is February 1, 2026. Officials have 30 days to check signatures.
In Florida, proponents of an initiative file signatures with local elections supervisors, who are responsible for verifying signatures. Supervisors are permitted to use random sampling if the process can estimate the number of valid signatures with 99.5% accuracy. Enough signatures are considered valid if the random sample estimates that at least 115% of the required number of signatures are valid.
Details about the initiative
- The initiative was approved for circulation on April 19, 2022.[1]
See also
|
External links
- Florida Division of Elections: Initiatives, Amendments, and Revisions database
- Initiative 22-01 information
- Initiative 22-01 full text
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Florida Department of Elections, "Initiative 22-01," accessed April 28, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Before the passage of Florida Senate Bill 1794 of 2020, signatures remained valid for a period of two years
- ↑ Florida State Senate, "Florida Senate Bill 1794," accessed April 13, 2020
