Today’s entry: Am I the only one who can't find, online, an actual list of who's on the November Election ballot, so I can research before I vote?? I know there are Amendments and aren't there Senate and House seats up for grabs too? Help Brian, I want to be an informed voter!
Bottom Line: I love your passion and desire to become informed in advance of voting for November’s elections. As of right now, there’s nothing you’re missing and you’re not alone in not being able to find a sample ballot for November’s elections yet. They haven't been prepared. Florida’s Division of Elections has a very specific process and series of deadlines associated with the preparation of ballots by each county’s election’s supervisor. There’s a lot during cycles which plays out behind the scenes and the process for last week’s primary elections hasn’t yet concluded.
This week, Tuesday, Aug. 25th, the canvassing Boards began a public audit of voting systems and on Thursday, Aug. 27th, the canvassing boards meet to certify election results which are sent to the state. So, as of today, winners from last week’s elections aren’t yet certified and won’t be until tomorrow. Until that happens, the process for elections supervisors to create ballots for November’s elections can’t commence. There are also other factors that can hold up sample ballots until after September 1st.
September 1st is the deadline for minor parties, who’ve qualified for elections in Florida this November, to submit their candidates for inclusion in November’s elections. Once that happens the process of ballot design can begin and must be completed by September 17th. That’s around the time you should be able to access your sample ballot online through your supervisor of elections website.
Now, let's talk proposed constitutional amendments, there are six that will be on our ballots this year:
- Amendment 1:States in the state Constitution that only U.S. citizens can vote in federal, state, local, or school elections
- Amendment 2:Increases the state minimum wage to $15 by 2026
- Amendment 3:Establishes a top-two open primary system for state office primary elections
- Amendment 4:Requires voter-approved constitutional amendments to be approved by voters at a second general election
- Amendment 5:Increases the period during which a person may transfer "Save Our Homes" benefits to a new homestead property from two years to three years
- Amendment 6:Allows a homestead property tax discount to be transferred to the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran
Leading up to early voting, I’ll breakdown each of these proposed amendments as part of the Florida Amendment Series. Hopefully, this is a helpful start in advance of your ballot being ready to go.
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