Constitutional Amendments Explained

An assortment of proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution are on the November 5 ballot, leading to numerous questions as voters try to weigh the impact of the proposals. Florida law requires any amendment to receive at least 60 percent of the vote in order to be approved, a requirement added by the legislature aimed at limiting the number of changes to the state's governing documents.m At the same time, legislators continues to propose amendments of their own design, often driven by special interest groups or political donors and PACs.

In order to cut through the confusion, we are publishing here a list of the six amendments with the recommendations of multiple watchdog organizations. This guide was created by Florida Progress and Florida Watch. We hope this will be useful to our readers as they prepare to cast their ballots.

Courtesy Progress Florida

A simple graphic explains the recommendations of multiple Florida watchdog organizations.

Amendment 1

Brings more politics into local school board elections by making them partisan. Nullifies part of a 1998 amendment passed by 64% of Florida voters that ensures school board races are nonpartisan. Creates closed party primaries that take away the ability for millions of Floridians to vote in school board elections.

• Vote No Recommended by:

Florida Education Association, League of Women Voters of Florida, Common Cause Florida, Florida NOW, SEIU Florida, Florida Rising, NAACP Florida State Conference, Equality Florida, FLIC Votes, Mi Familia en Acción, Equal Ground, National Council of Jewish Women, Florida For All

Amendment 2

Establishes a state constitutional right to hunt and fish, even though that right already exists in state law. Proclaims hunting and fishing the 'preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife,' potentially overriding existing wildlife protections and opening up hunting in state and county parks.

• Vote No Recommended by:

Florida Bar Animal Law Section, Sierra Club Florida, National Council of Jewish Women, genCLEO Action Fund, Humane Society of the United States, Florida NOW, Florida For All

Amendment 3

Legalizes recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 or older, providing access to safe, regulated marijuana products. Removes criminal penalties for adults 21 and up for simple possession of marijuana in small quantities.

• Vote Yes Recommended by:

Florida NOW, SEIU Florida, Florida Rising, National Council of Jewish Women, NAACP Florida State Conference, Equal Ground, ACLU Florida, Florida For All

Amendment 4

Ensures that Floridians, not politicians, are able to decide what is best for their own lives and bodies by limiting government interference with abortion. Overturns Florida's abortion ban, which outlaws abortion before many women even realize they are pregnant and provides no real exceptions for rape or the health of the patient.

• Vote Yes Recommended by:

League of Women Voters of Florida, Florida NOW, SEIU Florida, Sierra Club Florida, Florida Rising, NAACP Florida State Conference, Equality Florida, FLIC Votes, Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, genCLEO Action Fund, Alianza for Progress, Mi Familia en Acción, National Council of Jewish Women, Equal Ground, Faith in Public Life, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Florida For All, ACLU Florida

Amendment 5

Creates an annual inflation adjustment on the amount that is tax-exempt from a homeowner's primary residence homestead exemption, reducing revenue for local communities by an estimated $111 million annually by 2029 for services like public safety workers, parks, and sanitation collection.

• Vote No Recommended by:

NAACP Florida State Conference, Florida NOW, Florida For All

Amendment 6

Gives more political power to corporations and wealthy individuals and candidates by repealing the public financing option available for state candidate campaigns passed by voters in 1998.

• Vote No Recommended by:

League of Women Voters of Florida, Common Cause Florida, Florida NOW, NAACP Florida State Conference, Equal Ground, SEIU Florida, Florida For All