Amendment 4 that is on the ballot.

[Blue_true]

I have found precious little two sided discussion on this amendment.

My gut is to vote against it. My primary reason is that the Amendment doesn’t place restrictions on the Governor and legislature if the amendment pass the 60% threshold twice. Right now, and 4 doesn’t change it, DeSantis and the Republican dominated legislature can simply decide that they don’t want to implement the voters’ will after a second vote passes citizens. We have seen what they did with the ex-felon vote amendment, and a rightwing US Appeals Court has backed them up.

Currently there are two republican driven bills in the legislature that would make getting an amendment on the ballot harder. One requires that the change meets a signature threshold in all 22 districts in Florida instead of the current 11 districts. The second is similar, raising the threshold in all 22 districts. Effectively both bills give a single red district veto power over all other districts.

I see 4 as a last ditch effort by republicans to maintain the upper hand in Florida, at all costs to citizens.

[jimfields33]

1. I would rather a restriction on how many amendments on a ballot

One year we had 14 or more and they really wanted 20 but some ended up not being on the ballot. 14 or more to too many. Most are approved.

[Blue_true]

3. Exactly who would decide how many petitions to put on the General ballot?

I don’t trust the current republican majority legislature to do that, what would happen is they would keep off petitions that they don’t agree with, effectively vetoing the petition. My position is that if a petition meets the voter signature threshold and is not redundant of very similar to another petition that is up, it should appear on the ballot, regardless of the number. I am ok with similar petitions being combined and re-worded before being put before General voters, as long as the combination and wording retains the intent of the two petitioners.

[jimfields33]

4. I agree with you but remember 2018 was the 12 Amendments

Do you think it may have turned off some voters who had to stand in line much longer then normal because instead of 10 minutes to vote it took 15 minutes or more.

[Blue_true]

5. People don't have to vote on a petition.

If they don’t vote, that part of their ballot get counted as not voted.

[jimfields33]

6. That's true. I kinda forgot that.

[Blue_true]

7. I used to leave Judge slots blank. Then I developed a habit

of looking up a Judge’s record and voting to retain that Judge or not retain that Judge.

[RainCaster]

2. In Washington state...

There is a limit on citizen sourced provisions that says you can only do one thing in a citizen sourced (I'm paraphrasing here) amendment. So this would have to be done in multiple phases. I get the idea, and I'm behind the idea of restoring voter's rights. It may not matter in FL, however.

Could that billionaire from NYC pay the fees so that all these people could vote? That would solve the problem until the courts can step in. Certainly a quicker solution.