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By Idel Mena Social Media Manager |
Updated November 10, 2024
Update
On Election Day 2024, in a huge victory for voters and the anti-corruption movement, voters rejected Amendment 6 (50.4% against, 49.6% in favor), preventing a repeal of the state's public finance program.
I don’t need to tell you there’s a lot at stake on this year’s ballot. We haven’t stopped hearing about it. In my home state of Florida, the news cycle is nonstop and the campaign ads are never-ending. You'd have to live under a rock to be unaware of the Presidential race or the marijuana and abortion questions on the ballot. So much so that Florida lawmakers are counting on Amendment 6 flying under the radar.
What is Amendment 6 and why should you care?
Amendment 6 asks Florida voters to repeal its public campaign financing program, which has been used for decades to amplify the voices of everyday Floridians. If you’ve never heard of public campaign financing, you’re not alone. To put it simply, if you believe you should not have to be rich to run for office, this program makes that a reality. If you believe the corrupt influence of money in politics is a problem, you should be in favor of public campaign financing.
So how does it work? In Florida, the public campaign financing program fights the influence of big money in politics by matching all donations under $250 with an equal amount of public money. This makes regular people's donations twice as valuable to candidates and incentivizes them to campaign to all voters instead of just the wealthy and well-connected. To participate, candidates must agree to spending limits, a post-election audit, and additional transparency requirements. While this program is only available to candidates for Governor and elected cabinet positions like Attorney General, in 2022, both major party candidates for Governor, Chief Financial Officer, and Attorney General received public dollars.
"Florida is one of few states with public financing enshrined in its state constitution. We need to be expanding and improving public campaign financing programs, not getting rid of them."
How did we get here?
Earlier this year, the Florida legislature placed an amendment on the ballot seeking to repeal public campaign financing from the state constitution. This isn’t the first time they’ve tried it, either. Back in 2010, the legislature placed a similar repeal amendment on the ballot, but it fell short of the 60% required for passage. This repeated repeal attempt we’re seeing less than 15 years later begs the question: why are Florida lawmakers trying so hard to repeal this program?
To answer that, it’s important to understand the program’s benefits. Running an effective statewide campaign is incredibly expensive in Florida. This was true in 1986 when the law was first passed, and it’s even more true today. Expensive campaigns discourage good people from running for office if they are not wealthy or have access to wealth. Public financing programs open the door to more candidates, and they make those candidates more accountable to regular voters—not just deep-pocketed donors. They’re also forced to run cleaner campaigns. Under Florida law, candidates must agree to stringent ethics and transparency measures like a cap on personal financing and party funding if they want to receive public funding. It’s truly a win-win for candidates and voters.
Who stands to gain if this program is repealed?
You might be asking, who stands to gain if this program is repealed? Incumbent lawmakers who are more concerned with eliminating the competition and serving themselves, rather than their constituents. Oh, and the rich special interests that will get even more influence over Florida politics.
Floridians don’t want a government run by millionaires and billionaires. We want a government run by leaders who understand the average voter and the challenges they face.
In a state where money in politics is already a significant problem, Amendment 6 would provide yet another boost to the influence of big-money special interests and undercut the influence of the people of Florida. If it passes, it would represent a huge step backward—not just for Florida, but for the national movement fighting the outsized role of money in politics.
Florida is one of few states with public financing enshrined in its state constitution. We need to be expanding and improving public campaign financing programs, not getting rid of them.