(The Associated Press and Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Florida voters made decisions on Nov 5 about two citizen-initiated amendments on marijuana and abortion and four legislatively-referred amendments.
A 60% supermajority vote is required to pass an amendment. Here are the election results and what they mean to Floridians:
Amendment 1: Partisan Election of Members of District School Boards
Amendment 1 failed. Not enough Florida voters voted “yes” to making school board elections partisan. This maintains the current procedure where school board members are elected in a nonpartisan election. This was a legislatively referred amendment.
Amendment 2 passed. Most Florida voters supported establishing a constitutional right to hunt and fish in Florida. Animal advocates feared this could make it more difficult to protect wildlife. This was a legislatively referred amendment.
Amendment 3 failed. Not enough Florida voters opposed legalizing marijuana for adults 21 years old and older and allowing individuals to possess up to three ounces of marijuana. This was a citizen-initiated amendment.
Amendment 4 failed. Florida voters opposed amending the Florida Constitution’s Declaration of Rights to provide that the state cannot “prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” This was a citizen-initiated amendment.
Amendment 5: Annual Adjustments to the Value of Certain Homestead Exemptions
Amendment 5 passed. Most Florida voters supported an annual inflation adjustment to the amount of assessed value that is exempt from property taxation. This was a legislatively referred amendment.
Amendment 6: Repeal of Public Campaign Finance Requirement
Amendment 6 failed. Exactly 50% of Florida voters 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. This was a legislatively referred amendment.
Proposing amendments to the State Constitution to require members of a district school board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election and to specify that the amendment only applies to elections held on or after the November 2026 general election. However, partisan primary elections may occur before the 2026 general election for purposes of nominating political party candidates to that office for placement on the 2026 general election ballot. Click here to learn more.
Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to preserve forever fishing and hunting, including by the use of traditional methods, as a public right and preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife. Specifies that the amendment does not limit the authority granted to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission under Section of Article IV of the State Constitution. https://www.local10.com/news/local/2024/10/15/vote-2024-amendment-2-explained/
Amendment 3 is one of two amendments on the ballot put there by citizens, not lawmakers (the other being Amendment 4). Its passage would make marijuana use legal for adults over 21, define the amounts, and define the business market for it. https://www.local10.com/vote-2024/2024/10/14/vote-2024-amendment-3-explained/
Amendment 4 is an abortion rights question. It would remove the government’s ability to block or delay the decision to end a pregnancy before the fetus is “viable” and/or to protect the life of the mother. https://www.local10.com/vote-2024/2024/10/14/vote-2024-amendment-4-explained/
Annual Adjustments to the Value of Certain Homestead Exemptions Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to require an annual adjustment for inflation to the value of current or future homestead exemptions that apply solely to levies other than school district levies and for which every person who has legal or equitable title to real estate and maintains thereon the permanent residence of the owner, or another person legally or naturally dependent upon the owner is eligible. This amendment takes effect January 1, 2025. https://www.local10.com/vote-2024/2024/10/18/vote-2024-amendment-5-explained/
As Florida voters prepare to cast their ballots in just a few days, they will be faced with six amendments, including Amendment 6, which proposes to provide public funding for candidates running for state office. https://www.local10.com/vote-2024/2024/10/21/florida-voters-set-to-decide-on-amendment-6-public-funding-for-state-candidates-at-stake/
Candidate
Votes
%
No
4,954,48150%
Yes
5,032,08150%
99% of Precincts Reporting
(5,575 / 5,631)
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Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.
