Spending tops $1.6M on citizenship voting proposal

Florida Citizen Voters receives money from nonprofit based in Ponte Vedra Beach

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A political committee has spent more than $1.6 million as it tries to get a measure on the November 2020 ballot that would make a change related to the citizenship of voters.

The committee Florida Citizen Voters had raised $1.625 million and spent $1.613 million as of March 31, according to a new finance report. Almost all of the money has gone to firms listed in financial disclosure reports as being involved in “canvassing,” as Florida Citizens Voters needs to submit 766,200 valid petition signatures to get on the ballot.

The proposal would change part of the state Constitution that now says, “Every citizen of the United States who is at least eighteen years of age and who is a permanent resident of the state, if registered as provided by law, shall be an elector of the county where registered.”

The proposal would change that wording to: “Only a citizen of the United States who is at least eighteen years of age and who is a permanent resident of the state, if registered as provided by law, shall be an elector of the county where registered.”

A ballot summary says: “This amendment provides that only United States Citizens who are at least eighteen years of age, a permanent resident of Florida, and registered to vote, as provided by law, shall be qualified to vote in a Florida election.”

Florida Citizen Voters has received the money from Citizen Voters, Inc., a non-profit based in Ponte Vedra Beach.