States Are Tightening Rules for Getting Citizen-Led Proposals on the Ballot

After a wave of successful citizen-led efforts to expand abortion rights via ballot measures, some state legislatures are making it harder for members of the public to put such measures before voters.

Florida, which late last week became the latest state to enact stricter rules around the process, is already facing a lawsuit over whether imposing more restrictions on the ballot initiative process is constitutional. The suit was brought by a group, Florida Decides Healthcare, that is trying to get a proposal on next year’s ballot to expand Medicaid in the state.

The group, which faces a February deadline to collect nearly 900,000 signatures from residents supportive of the plan, said that the new law was making signature-gatherers nervous.

The law imposes a possible criminal penalty if someone circulating petitions does not register with the state; limits to 25 the number of signatures that an unregistered canvasser can collect; requires canvassers to collect more identifying information, and shortens the time frame for petition submission to 10 days after signatures are received.

“This isn’t about transparency or accountability — this is about control,” said Holly Bullard, the co-chairwoman of the organization that sued. The citizen-led process, she added, “is not perfect, but it’s powerful. And that’s exactly why they’re trying to undermine it.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a post on social media, said that the bill, which he signed on Friday, would “combat petition fraud and prevent the special interest abuse of our constitutional amendment process.” A report compiled by the state’s Office of Election Crimes and Security charged that some of the organizers and petitioners behind last year’s abortion ballot question had committed “widespread petition fraud.” But the state did not challenge any signatures earlier in the year, when it had a chance to.