Voters will soon have their say on the fate of Florida’s public campaign finance program Legislators passed a measure He asked this question earlier this year on the November ballot.
During the 2024 session, Sen. Travis Hutson supporting the resolution (SJR 1114) to end the program, which he says is too costly and cuts into funds that could be used elsewhere. The language under Amendment 6 will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Discuss the resolution Hutson said on the Senate floor that candidates had access to $13 million from the state in 2022, up from $10 million in 2018.
The existing statutory language expresses the rationale behind the general budget.
“The Legislature has recognized that the costs of running an effective campaign for statewide office have risen to a level that discourages individuals from running for office and limits those who run for such office to individuals who are independently wealthy and supported by political committees. represent special interests who can make significant campaign contributions, or who must turn to special interest groups for campaign contributions.”
The program began after voters approved a ballot initiative in 1998. A constitutional provision created by a 1998 amendment requires lawmakers to set limits on spending to access the funds, which are available only to candidates for state office.
Amendment 6 repeals the public funding language in the Florida Constitution. A similar attempt failed in 2010.
But a group has been launched to oppose the effort to open up the program. Floridians for an Open Democracy is urging voters to oppose Amendment 6 and recently released a memo outlining its case.
“Amendment 6 would make it more difficult for new and more diverse leaders to run for statewide office,” the memo said, adding that repealing the general budget program would “limit the political terrain of who can run for governor and cabinet in 2026.” .
“In a state where money in politics is already a significant problem, it would provide another boost to the influence of big money interests and diminish the influence of Floridians,” the group added.
Floridians for Open Democracy correctly points out that the program has been used by both parties. But according to Hutson, the current governor. Ron DeSantis It received the bulk of public money in 2022, to the tune of $7.3 million compared to just $3.8 million for Democrats. Charlie Crist. This is while DeSantis is getting ready Millions of foreign cash through a political committee that he later used to support his 2024 presidential bid.
Both DeSantis and Hutson are Republicans.
However, Floridians for Democracy again says that supporting the 6th Amendment leads to financial interests that “consolidate government control.”
“You don’t have to be rich to be a candidate. Floridians deserve fairer elections and a democracy that reflects our communities. Floridians want elected leaders who understand our everyday lives—leaders who create policies that respond to our real challenges. Public campaign financing enables such elected leaders to do so by strengthening the influence of Floridians who make low-dollar campaign contributions, giving Florida voters more say in who can represent them.
“A more diverse pool of candidates will foster a more diverse group of elected leaders who come from the communities they serve and share the experiences and challenges of Floridians. Public campaign financing not only opens the door to candidates who might not otherwise make the financial leap to run for office, but also makes voters more important to campaigns and emboldens elected leaders. to be accountable to the communities they serve. “But the reality is that the 6th Amendment makes it harder for women and people of color to run for public office.”
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