The requirements for getting an issue on the ballot depend on the type of issue being proposed.
Types of Issues
In addition to these types of issues that citizens can petition to place on the ballot, certain governmental bodies can place issues and questions on the ballot.
If citizens want to get an issue on the ballot, they must meet certain requirements for petition signatures, fundraising, and for the exact wording of the issue on the ballot. The Supervisor of Elections will not be able to help you with the wording of your petition. The Supervisor of Elections only approves the form. To find out the specific requirements and regulations for any given issue, please call the Supervisor of Elections office at 352-374-5252 or come by our office at 515 North Main Street, Suite 300, Gainesville, FL 32601 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
As with petitions to qualify a candidate for office, there is a charge to verify these petitions. For Constitutional Initiative Petitions, this charge is thirty cents ($0.30) per petition for the elections office to verify each signature. The charge is thirty cents ($0.30) effective February 1, 2022.
Weekly Report for Petition Signatures
Petition status Reports for Initiatives through September 6, 2023
23-07 Status Report
22-05 Status Report
22-03 Status Report
22-02 Status Report
21-03 Status Report
Potential Fines for Failure to Deliver Petitions Promptly:
Section 100.371 (7(a)) of Florida Statute states:
"(7)(a) A sponsor that collects petition forms or uses a petition circulator to collect petition forms serves as a fiduciary to the elector signing the petition form, ensuring that any petition form entrusted to the petition circulator shall be promptly delivered to the supervisor of elections within 30 days after the elector signs the form. If a petition form collected by any petition circulator is not promptly delivered to the supervisor of elections, the sponsor is liable for the following fines:
1. A fine in the amount of $50 for each petition form received by the supervisor of elections more than 30 days after the elector signed the petition form or the next business day, if the office is closed. A fine in the amount of $250 for each petition form received if the sponsor or petition circulator acted willfully.
2. A fine in the amount of $500 for each petition form collected by a petition circulator which is not submitted to the supervisor of elections. A fine in the amount of $1,000 for any petition form not submitted if the sponsor or petition circulator acted willfully.
(b) A showing by the sponsor that the failure to deliver the petition form within the required timeframe is based upon force majeure or impossibility of performance is an affirmative defense to a violation of this subsection.
The fines described in this subsection may be waived upon a showing that the failure to deliver the petition form promptly is based upon force majeure or impossibility of performance."