Since 1968, Florida voters have been given the unique opportunity to place proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. Some voters, however, are unclear about the signature-gathering process. Many believe that signature gatherers are dedicated volunteers and activists who believe in the initiatives. However, many signature gatherers are paid professionals who travel from state to state working for special interest groups to get their initiatives on the ballot.

Ask yourself the following questions, prior to signing any petition:

• Does this initiative belong in the state Constitution?
• Who funds this initiative?
• Who supports this initiative?
• Will taxes increase if this initiative passes?
• Will my personal information be used for future campaigns?
• Is the signature gatherer a Florida resident? If not, why are they working on a Florida initiative?

As voters, you also have the right to:

• not sign the petition;
• ask if the petitioner is being paid and if so, by whom;
• take the petition home to research and review it and
• know the petition you sign is public record once signed and is available for anyone to access.

Because 17 of 18 amendments proposed in the last two election cycles have passed, Florida’s Constitution is considered somewhat easy to amend. While the U.S. Constitution has been amended only 27 times in more than 215 years, Florida’s Constitution has been amended 103 times since 1970. It is five times longer than the U. S. Constitution.

There currently are 53 proposed amendments by citizens’ initiative and several proposed by the legislature for voters to review for the November 2006 ballot.

Please gather as much information as you can prior to signing a petition. If you encounter any irregularities or suspect fraud in the signature-gathering process, contact the Petition Fraud Hotline at (888) 425-1234. For more information, visit VoteSmart Florida. Click here to view all of the proposed constitutional amendments.