Florida's Amendment 6: Voters To Decide on Public Campaign Financing
Will Floridians choose to repeal taxpayer-funded political campaigns?
Florida’s Amendment 6 will be on the November ballot for Florida voters to decide if to repeal the provision in the State Constitution which requires public financing for campaigns of candidates for elective statewide office who agree to campaign spending limits. Florida started public financing of political campaigns in 1998 and has yet to achieve the goals voters had expected when they voted the measure in.
Specifically, language voters will see on the ballot states, “REPEAL OF PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING REQUIREMENT.—Proposing the repeal of the provision in the State Constitution which requires public financing for campaigns of candidates for elective statewide office who agree to campaign spending limits.” A "yes" vote supports repealing the state constitutional provision that provides for public financing of campaigns for those running for elective statewide office who agree to campaign spending limits. A "no" vote opposes 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.
Many want to end the program so that taxpayer money can be diverted to other programs that may be more effective for Florida residents. Public financing is funded through the state budget, with allocated funds distributed to qualifying candidates. Each candidate's amount depends on the office sought and the total funds available.
Candidates must meet specific qualifications to be eligible for public funds. These include requirements related to the amount of private contributions raised, demonstrating a basic level of support from the electorate. not be running unopposed; agree to expenditure limits; raise $150,000 (for gubernatorial candidates) or $100,000 (for cabinet candidates); limit loans or contributions from the candidate’s funds to $25,000 and limit contributions from political parties to $250,000; and report campaign financing data to the division of elections and submit to a post-election financial audit.
