Florida voters on Nov. 8 will decide whether to abolish the state’s Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), one of the main avenues to place constitutional amendments on the statewide ballot.
Amendment 2, which would do away with the 37-member panel, was put on the ballot by the state Legislature after seven of the eight initiatives the CRC placed on the ballot in 2018 became targets of lawsuits. The litigation alleged the measures contained multiple topics or were otherwise misleading or inaccurate, according to the nonpartisan website Ballotpedia.
One of the prime movers behind the initiative is state Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg), who argued that the panel, which meets every two decades, lacks any rules, consists of many unelected members and is unaccountable for its actions..
Groups such as Common Cause Florida and the League of Women Voters of Florida, however, contend that the commission should be reformed rather than abolished. In addition to the CRC process, other methods to put initiatives on the state ballot are legislative joint resolutions, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, a constitutional convention or through a citizen initiative, which requires signature gathering.
Common Cause Florida points out that recent legislation has made citizen initiatives more difficult and expensive – and that abolishing the CRC would further reduce citizens’ ability to influence statewide policies.
“We have seen so many brazen attempts in recent years to undermine the will of the people in Florida that taking away this generational opportunity for pursuing change makes no sense if we are to have a government that is truly by, of and for the people,” Common Cause Florida’s program director, Amy Keith, said in a statement emailed to the Florida Record.
Today’s voters don’t know what issues Florida will be facing in 2037, the next time the CRC is scheduled to meet, so they should avoid doing away with the panel, Keith said.
At least 60% of voters would have to approve Amendment 2 on Election Day for the measure to take effect.
When it convenes, the CRC is made up of 15 members appointed by the governor, 18 selected by legislative leaders and three named by the state Supreme Court. The state attorney general is also a member.