Florida Amendment 6, Repeal of Public Financing for Statewide Campaigns Amendment (2024)

Florida Amendment 6
Election date November 5, 2024
Topic Elections and campaigns
Status d Defeated
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Florida Amendment 6, the Repeal of Public Financing for Statewide Campaigns Amendment, was on the ballot in Florida as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported repealing the state constitutional provision that provides for public financing of campaigns for those running for elective statewide office who agree to campaign spending limits.

A "no" vote opposed repealing the constitutional provision that allows for the public financing of campaigns, therefore continuing to allow public campaign financing for statewide candidates who agree to certain spending limits.

Election results

Amendment 6 needed to receive a 60% vote to be approved.

Florida Amendment 6
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		5,032,882	50.39%
No		4,955,737	49.61%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What would Amendment 6 have done?

See also: Text of measure

The amendment would have repealed Section 7 of Article VI of the Florida Constitution, which provides for public campaign financing for statewide candidates who agree to spending limits. Under Article VI, public campaign financing is available for candidates for the offices of governor, attorney general, chief financial officer, and commissioner of agriculture.

Public financing in Florida is available for candidates for the offices of governor and elected cabinet members (attorney general, chief financial officer, and commissioner of agriculture). To qualify for public campaign financing, a candidate must:

• not be running unopposed;
• agree to expenditure limits;
• raise $150,000 (for gubernatorial candidates) or $100,000 (for cabinet candidates);
• limit loans or contributions from the candidate’s personal funds to $25,000 and limit contributions from political parties to $250,000; and
• report campaign financing data to the division of elections and submit to a post-election financial audit.

The public campaign financing program is funded by the General Revenue Fund. In 2022, the expenditure limit for gubernatorial candidates receiving public campaign financing was $30.29 million ($2.00 per registered voter) and the limit for cabinet candidates was $15.14 million ($1.00 per registered voter).

What is the history of public campaign financing in Florida?

See also: Background

Florida voters adopted Amendment 11 in 1998, which provided for public campaign financing for statewide offices. The amendment was approved with 64.12% of voters in favor and 35.88% opposed.

In 2010, the Florida State Legislature referred Amendment 1 to the ballot to repeal the constitutional provision providing for public campaign financing. The amendment received 52.49% of the vote in favor but was defeated because constitutional amendments in Florida require a 60% supermajority vote to be adopted.

Florida is one of twelve states with a public campaign finance program for candidates running for governor and lieutenant governor.

What did supporters and opponents say about the measure?

See also: Support and Opposition

This amendment was passed in the state legislature along partisan lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.

State Sen. Travis Hutson (R-7), who sponsored the amendment in the Senate, said, "We’re putting it to the voters to make the decision on whether we should spend general revenue funds helping candidates run for office, or on other means that could help our constituents. ... I think it's absurd that anybody would be able to use taxpayer dollars for the purposes of campaigning. So those are dollars we could spend on things like education, things like healthcare, water projects, beach restoration, all of that stuff."

State Sen. Tina Polsky (D-30), who voted against the amendment in the Senate, said, "It is very clear that the Republican Party has a lot more money, funding, outside groups, special interest groups, who help pay for campaigns than the Democratic Party has in Florida. And, as a result, it seems this would be a negative for Democratic candidates."

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:

“

REPEAL OF PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING REQUIREMENT.

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:

“

Proposing the repeal of the provision in the State Constitution which requires public financing for campaigns of candidates for elective statewide office who agree to campaign spending limits.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article VI, Florida Constitution

The amendment would have repealed Section 7 of Article VI of the Florida Constitution. The following struck-through text would have been deleted:

Campaign Spending Limits and Funding of Campaigns for Elective State-Wide Office

It is the policy of this state to provide for state-wide elections in which all qualified candidates may compete effectively. A method of public financing for campaigns for state-wide office shall be established by law. Spending limits shall be established for such campaigns for candidates who use public funds in their campaigns. The legislature shall provide funding for this provision. General law implementing this paragraph shall be at least as protective of effective competition by a candidate who uses public funds as the general law in effect on January 1, 1998.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2024

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 state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 12, and the FRE is 17. The word count for the ballot title is 6.

The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 17, and the FRE is 21. The word count for the ballot summary is 28.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• State Sen. Travis Hutson (R)

Arguments

• State Sen. Travis Hutson (R-7): "We’re putting it to the voters to make the decision on whether we should spend general revenue funds helping candidates run for office, or on other means that could help our constituents. ... I think it's absurd that anybody would be able to use taxpayer dollars for the purposes of campaigning. So those are dollars we could spend on things like education, things like healthcare, water projects, beach restoration, all of that stuff."

Opposition

Opponents

Officials

• State Sen. Tina Polsky (D)
• State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D)

Arguments

• State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-42): "The intention is, if you are running against an incumbent or someone of greater means, that you can leverage your small dollar support and maximize that by receiving public funds. Public money levels the political playing field."
• Libby Livette of the League Of Women Voters: "Without access to public funds, only the wealthy and the well-connected would be able to afford to run."
• Marcus McCoy, pastor and state director of Equal Ground Action Fund: "Public financing encourages a more diverse pool of candidates to participate in elections."
• State Sen. Tina Polsky (D-30): "It is very clear that the Republican Party has a lot more money, funding, outside groups, special interest groups, who help pay for campaigns than the Democratic Party has in Florida. And, as a result, it seems this would be a negative for Democratic candidates."

Media editorials

See also: 2024 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

Ballotpedia did not identify any media editorials in support of Amendment 6. If you are aware of one, please send an email with a link to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Oppose

• Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board: "If you think that special interests, big out-of-state donors and limitless campaign spending are healthy for Florida’s political environment, this amendment is for you. Otherwise, vote no. Amendment 6 would repeal the Florida program that provides public financing for some statewide political candidates who agree to campaign spending limits. This reasonable, voluntary tradeoff helps to reduce the influence of big-money politics while providing voters with a broader slate of candidates to consider."
• The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board: "Money has long been an issue in running for public office, especially for candidates who aren't multimillionaires. But the Florida Legislature's GOP supermajority is fine with that and has come up with an undemocratic trick that would make it harder for less-wealthy people to run, while also making our statewide office-seekers even more beholden to special interests, lobbyists and dark money PACs. It's not like masses of candidates have been soaking the taxpayers for vast sums under Florida public financing law. Candidates collected some $13 million in matching campaign funds last year, out of a total Florida budget of $116.5 billion. Public financing provides an open door for worthy candidates who might otherwise be closed off from running because they prefer not to feed at the trough of Big Ag, Big Insurance, Big Sugar or Big Power."
• TCPalm Editorial Board: "Florida enacted a public campaign finance law in 1986, and voters, right or wrong, added it to the constitution in 1998 with 64% of the vote. Voters rejected repealing it in 2010. There’s no reason to keep asking. No."
• Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board: "If you think that special interests, big out-of-state donors and limitless campaign spending are healthy for Florida's political environment, this amendment is for you. Otherwise, vote no. Amendment 6 would repeal the Florida program that provides public financing for some statewide political candidates who agree to campaign spending limits. This reasonable, voluntary tradeoff helps to reduce the influence of big-money politics while providing voters with a broader slate of candidates to consider."
• Miami Herald Editorial Board: "Florida voters are being asked to repeal a constitutional amendment that allows taxpayer money to be used by candidates running for top state offices, including governor. A 'yes' vote for Amendment 6 − the Repeal of Public Financing for Statewide Campaigns − would kill the Florida program that provides matching, public financing for those running for office, a boost for candidates with limited financial means. We recommend a 'no' vote."
• Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Board: "Keep campaign finance laws in place: Vote 'no' on Amendment 6. Special interests are already too influential. The targeted program awards matching funds for political contributions of $250 or less from Florida residents. The money goes to candidates for governor and the cabinet who agree to limit total spending to $2 per registered voter in a governor's race and $1 per voter for races for attorney general, agriculture commissioner and chief financial officer. They can put no more than $25,000 into their own campaigns. Critics complain that it subsidizes candidates who don't need the money, but it also gives assistance to low-budget candidates who try to compete with the big bucks."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Florida ballot measures

If you are aware of a committee registered to support or oppose this measure, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Background

Public campaign financing in Florida

See also: Article VI, Florida Constitution and Amendment 11 (1998)

Florida enacted a public campaign financing law in 1986. Public financing under Article VI is available for candidates for the offices of governor and elected cabinet members (attorney general, chief financial officer, and commissioner of agriculture). To qualify for public campaign financing, a candidate must:

• not be running unopposed;
• agree to expenditure limits;
• raise $150,000 (for gubernatorial candidates) or $100,000 (for cabinet candidates);
• limit loans or contributions from the candidate’s personal funds to $25,000 and limit contributions from political parties to $250,000; and
• report campaign financing data to the division of elections and submit to a post-election financial audit.

The public campaign financing program is funded by the General Revenue Fund. In 2022, the expenditure limit for gubernatorial candidates receiving public campaign financing was $30.29 million ($2.00 per registered voter) and the limit for cabinet candidates was $15.14 million ($1.00 per registered voter).

The following table shows the total amount of funds given to candidates in election cycles from 2010-2022.

General election year	Public campaign financing distributions
2022	$13,015,149.81
2018	$9,852,605.76
2014	$4,336,040.04
2010	$6,065,556.11

Constitutional provision providing for public campaign financing

The Florida Constitution Revision Commission referred nine amendments to the 1998 ballot, including Amendment 11, which added Section 7 of Article VI to the Florida Constitution providing for public campaign financing for statewide offices. The amendment was approved with 64.12% of voters in favor and 35.88% opposed.

The text of Section 7 of Article VI of the Florida Constitution is below.

Campaign Spending Limits and Funding of Campaigns for Elective State-Wide Office It is the policy of this state to provide for state-wide elections in which all qualified candidates may compete effectively. A method of public financing for campaigns for state-wide office shall be established by law. Spending limits shall be established for such campaigns for candidates who use public funds in their campaigns. The legislature shall provide funding for this provision. General law implementing this paragraph shall be at least as protective of effective competition by a candidate who uses public funds as the general law in effect on January 1, 1998.

Amendment to repeal public campaign financing (2010)

See also: Florida Amendment 1, Repeal of Public Financing for Statewide Campaigns Amendment (2010)

In 2010, the Florida State Legislature referred Amendment 1 to the ballot, which would have repealed Section 7 of Article VI, thereby removing the method of public financing for statewide candidates who agree to certain spending limits. Amendment 1 received 52.49% of the vote in favor, but it was defeated because constitutional amendments in Florida require a 60% supermajority vote to be adopted.

Public campaign finance programs in the U.S.

See also: Public financing of campaigns

Florida is one of 12 states with a public campaign finance program for candidates running for governor and lieutenant governor. The other 11 states are:

• Arizona;
• Connecticut;
• Hawaii;
• Maine;
• Maryland;
• Massachusetts;
• Michigan;
• Minnesota;
• New Jersey;
• Rhode Island; and
• Vermont.

Five states offer public campaign financing for state legislative offices: Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, and Minnesota.

Two states offer public campaign finance programs for state supreme court candidates: New Mexico and West Virginia.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Florida Constitution

To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a 60 percent vote is required in both the Florida State Senate and the Florida House of Representatives.

The amendment was introduced in the state legislature as Senate Joint Resolution 1114. It was approved in the Senate on February 28, 2024, by a vote of 28-11. The House approved the amendment on March 6, 2024, in a vote of 82-29 with nine members not voting. The amendment was passed along partisan lines with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.

Vote in the Florida State Senate February 28, 2024
Requirement: Three-fifths (60 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 24  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	28	11	1
Total percent	70.00%	27.50%	2.50%
Democrat	1	10	1
Republican	27	1	0

Vote in the Florida House of Representatives March 6, 2024
Requirement: Three-fifths (60 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 72  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	82	29	9
Total percent	68.33%	24.16%	7.50%
Democrat	1	29	6
Republican	81	0	3

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Florida

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Florida.

How to vote 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

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.

See also

2024 measures

• 2024 ballot measures
• Elections and campaigns 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

• Florida Senate Joint Resolution 1114