All proposed constitutional amendments by initiative petition failed, and Florida Democrats say they were “blocked” and it is the latest Republican attempt at “voter suppression.”
According to the Florida Secretary of State, “all twenty-two active proposed constitutional amendments by initiative petitions failed to meet the requirements of Florida law for placement on the 2026 General Election ballot.”
Florida’s State Department announced that no citizen-led initiatives submitted enough verified signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot, and Florida Democrats said that effectively shuts Floridians out of the direct democracy process.
“Citizen-led initiatives are an important part of Florida elections because it’s the way everyday people can hold politicians accountable when they refuse to listen. So when the State claims that not a single citizen initiative qualifies for the ballot, it’s not just suspicious, it’s part of a deliberate effort to silence voters,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
Initiative petitions were being collected in Florida for issues involving adult personal use of marijuana, Medicaid coverage to low-income adults, voting rights, right to clean and healthy waters, prayer in schools, criminal matters, and more.
Secretary of State Cord Byrd was appointed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis as Florida’s Secretary of State. According to his bio, Secretary Byrd is a Constitutionalist who has spent his life fighting to ensure the Constitution’s promise of individual liberty, economic freedom and limited government.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier took aim at the marijuana initiative, which faces new investigations and subpoenas in a criminal probe of petition election fraud. “Smart & Safe Florida failed to get its amendment on the 2026 ballot despite numerous cases of fraudulent petitions,” the Florida AG posted. “The work of our Office of Statewide Prosecution will continue. We will protect the integrity of Florida’s Constitution by holding every last fraudster accountable.”
While Republicans warn about petition election fraud, the Florida Democratic Party reframed the latest news on initiative petitions as an attack on the people.
“When politicians are this desperate to block the ballot, it tells you exactly who they’re afraid of: the people,” FDP Chair Nikki Fried said. “We’ve seen this governor not only create his own police force to intimidate voters who participate in petition initiatives, but also steal millions of state dollars from children and families to control the outcome of elections. Now they’re denying ballot access while redrawing maps to favor the Republican Party, because they’ve seen how Democrats have performed since Trump has taken office. This is not democracy, it’s domination.”
