Citizenship voting proposal clears, anyone 18-years-old may be able to vote

Though it still needs a sign-off from the Florida Supreme Court, a proposed constitutional amendment about the citizenship of voters has met a petition-signature requirement to go on the November 2020 ballot.

The political committee Florida Citizen Voters had submitted 843,528 valid petition signatures to the state as of Wednesday, topping the 766,200-signature requirement to reach the ballot, according to the Florida Division of Elections website. The committee also had complied with a requirement that it meet certain signature thresholds in at least 14 of the state’s 27 congressional districts.

The proposal would change part of the state Constitution that now says, “Every citizen of the United States who is at least eighteen years of age and who is a permanent resident of the state, if registered as provided by law, shall be an elector of the county where registered.” The proposal would change that wording to: “Only a citizen of the United States who is at least eighteen years of age and who is a permanent resident of the state, if registered as provided by law, shall be an elector of the county where registered.”

Attorney General Ashley Moody last month sent the proposal to the Supreme Court, which reviews ballot wording to determine whether it meets legal standards, including whether it would be misleading to voters. It is unclear when the Supreme Court might rule on the proposed amendment. Florida Citizen Voters has received nearly $8.3 million in cash and in-kind contributions --- all from the non-profit organization Citizen Voters, Inc. That included about $1.56 million in July, a newly filed finance report shows.