Click here to live chat with one of our writers between 9am-5pm CST.
Florida Amendment 3, Supermajority Vote Required to Approve a Constitutional Amendment (2006)
From Ballotpedia
Contents |
Proposed Amendment 3 increased the number of votes required to approve a proposed constitutional amendment from 50% + 1 to 60%.
Amendment #3 amended Section 5 of Article XI of the Florida Constitution.
Election results
| Amendment 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 a Yes | 2,600,969 | 57.8% | ||
| No | 1,900,359 | 42.2% | ||
Ballot language
| Florida Constitution |
|---|
|
| Articles |
| Preamble • I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII |
Proposed Amendment #3's summary on the ballot said:
|
Proposes an amendment to Section 5 of Article XI of the State Constitution to require that any proposed amendment to or revision of the State Constitution, whether proposed by the Legislature, by initiative, or by any other method, must be approved by at least 60 percent of the voters of the state voting on the measure, rather than by a simple majority. This proposed amendment would not change the current requirement that a proposed constitutional amendment imposing a new state tax or fee be approved by at least 2/3 percent of the voters of the state voting in the election in which such an amendment is considered. |
Arguments
Florida Vote Smart, an affiliate of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, provided a voter guide in 2006 to Florida's proposed constitutional amendments. In that voter guide, they presented these arguments for and against Amendment 3, based on their assessment of the arguments that advocacy groups and others were making.
In favor
- "Florida's Constitution is the easiest to amend in our nation. In recent years, ballot initiatives have become a vehicle for well-financed special interest groups to protect their interests via the state's most sacred document. By implementing a higher threshold for approval of constitutional amendments it broadens consensus because a higher percentage of Florida's electorate will be required to pass the initiative.
Against
- "When issues are not passed through the Legislature, the ballot initiative process is critical to ensuring the peoples' voices are still heard. The citizen initiative process remains a vital check on government when, for whatever reasons, the government refuses to act. Requiring a higher percentage of the electorate could diminish an initiative's chances of being approved."
Campaign donations
A total of $3,293,580 was spent on campaigns related to Amendment 3, and it was all spent by the "Yes on 3" side through a group called "Protect Our Constitution."[1]
Donors of $100,000 and over to "Protect Our Constitution" were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| National Association of Home Builders | $300,000 |
| Foundation for Preserving Florida's Future | $300,000 |
| Florida Chamber of Commerce | $179,406 |
| ALICO, Inc. | $100,000 |
| U.S. Chamber of Commerce | $100,000 |
| CSX Transportation | $100,000 |
| Publix Supermarkets | $100,000 |
| Bonita Bay Group | $100,000 |
| Florida Association of Realtors | $100,000 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida | $100,000 |
| A. Duda & Sons | $100,000 |
| Plum Creek Timber | $100,000 |
| Chicos FAS | $100,000 |
| PHRMA | $100,000 |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Florida Constitution
Proposed Amendment 3 was referred to the ballot by a vote of both chambers of the Florida State Legislature on HJR 1723 (2005 session).
See also
- 2006 ballot measures
- Florida 2006 ballot measures
- Florida State Senate
- Florida House of Representatives
- List of Florida ballot measures
External links
- Summary of text and election results
- Full text
- State of Florida booklet describing the 2006 constitutional amendments
- Vote Smart Florida description of proposed amendment
References
| |||||
