Nearly 2,400 local voters verified in a petition to amend Florida Constitution

By the close of business Monday, July 15th, Historic City News was informed that 2,325 St Johns County voter signatures had been verified by the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, in Districts 4 and 6, on petitions seeking a constitutional amendment that will require U.S. citizenship in order to vote in Florida elections.

The group circulating the petition that will amend Article VI, Section 2, of Florida’s Constitution, if successful on the General Election ballot in November 2020, is Florida Citizen Voters located at One Independent Drive Suite 1300, in Jacksonville.

This amendment provides that only United States Citizens who are at least eighteen years of age, a permanent resident of Florida, and registered to vote, as provided by law, shall be an elector of the county where registered and qualified to vote in a Florida election.

The following items remain unresolved:

Undue Burden, Supreme Court Ruling, Supreme Court Ruling Date, Financial Impact Statement Date, Supreme Court Approval of Financial Impact Statement, Made Ballot, and Ballot Number.

Although the statewide total currently verified as “valid” by the Division of Elections is 154,162, the total needed to make a ballot position is 766,200.  In a staff report that appeared in Thursday afternoon’s issue of Florida Politics by John Loudon, chairman, and treasurer of Florida Citizen Voters, the committee is claiming to have 1,300,000 signatures as of this week.  Currently verified totals are unofficial until the Initiative receives certification and a ballot number.

“Efforts are underway in liberal cities across the country that will allow non-citizens to legally vote,” Loudon said.  “San Francisco, Chicago, several cities in Vermont and Maryland already allow noncitizens to legally vote in some or all local elections. Council leaders in Boston and New York City are pushing to allow non-citizen voting in their cities.”

In order to receive a ballot position, two signature thresholds must be met.

• Statewide total [8 percent of the votes cast in the last presidential election]

• Congressional District signature totals in at least 14 of Florida’s 27 Congressional Districts [8 percent of the votes cast in each Congressional District in the last presidential election]

See section 3, Article XI, Fla. Const., section 100.371, Fla. Stat.