A Florida law that has pushed public schools to remove thousands of books, including literary classics, from their shelves could get even more restrictive soon, as Republican lawmakers move to close a “loophole” they say still allows volumes depicting nudity or sexual conduct to remain on campuses.

New bills backed by GOP legislators would mean school districts could no longer consider a book’s artistic, literary, political or scientific value when deciding whether to keep it. Instead, any book that “describes sexual conduct” could face removal.

Already, critics argue the 2023 law is unconstitutional — a pending federal lawsuit says it violates the First Amendment — and overly broad and vague. Some worried educators have removed children’s picture books, such as “No David!” by David Shannon, showing cartoonish bare bottoms out of fear they depict the prohibited “sexual conduct.” Classics such as Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” and Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” also have been pulled.

But Republicans say there are still inappropriate and “pornographic” books in school libraries and classrooms, and they argue the law needs to be strengthened.

Tallahassee, FL – HB 1205, a bill to restrict citizen-led amendments, was approved by the Florida House of Representatives earlier today. The citizen-led amendment process is one of the most direct ways Floridians can shape the future we all deserve. It embodies the collective power of Floridians, uniting us across race, zip code, and income to address the issues that matter most to our communities. This is direct democracy at its best—a system where the will of the people drives progress and shapes a better future.

If this bill or its companion in the Senate, SPB 7016, becomes law it will give only ten days to turn in petitions, and create unnecessary and burdensome fines on volunteers, preventing everyday Floridians from being able pass policies that improve our lives and strengthen our communities when politicians refuse to act.

State Voices Florida opposes this legislation and urges the Senate to reject both HB 1205 and SPB 7016. The citizen-led amendment process in Florida is the strictest in the nation, requiring nearly one million signatures to get on the ballot and 60% support from voters to pass. The process should be made easier…not harder.

As lifelong conservatives, we believe in limited government, personal responsibility, and the rights of the people to shape our own governance. We founded Conservative Women for Freedom because we are a dedicated group of local Republican women committed to safeguarding the rights and futures of our children and grandchildren. We’re speaking out against House Bill 1205, a dangerous assault on grassroots democracy that would all but eliminate the ability of everyday Floridians to bring citizen-led ballot initiatives to the people.

In a state that has long championed individual freedom, HB 1205 does the opposite. It stacks the deck against regular citizens and ensures that only the wealthiest and most powerful can even attempt to bring an initiative before the voters. This bill is not about election integrity. By requiring initiative sponsors to post a staggering $1 million bond before gathering signatures, the bill ensures that only the well-connected can afford to participate. Who among us can write a check that size?

The bill also creates unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles that make compliance nearly impossible and dramatically increases fines for simple mistakes, establishing financial punishments that could bankrupt a citizen-led effort. This red tape is unnecessary, costly, and serves no real purpose beyond discouraging participation. The bottom line is that these rules have nothing to do with preventing fraud.

As conservatives, we have long argued for limited government and the rights of the people to hold their elected officials accountable. And Republican primary voters agree—one recent poll showed 55 percent of GOP primary voters in Florida oppose any effort to make it even harder for a citizen-led amendment to make the ballot.

A day after the Florida House started moving forward with its version of the plan, the Senate on Friday released a wide-ranging bill that would add restrictions to the state’s ballot-initiative process.

The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on Monday will consider the bill, which, among other things, would place new requirements on petition gathering and open the door to legal challenges after constitutional amendments pass.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of trying to restrict the initiative process after he successfully led efforts last year to defeat proposed constitutional amendments on abortion rights and recreational marijuana. DeSantis and other Republicans contend changes are needed to combat fraud in the process, particularly in the collection of petition signatures needed to put measures on the ballot.

“Amending Florida’s constitution is a responsibility every voter takes very seriously, and petition integrity is critical to ensuring the effectiveness of the citizen initiative process,” Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said in a statement Friday as the chamber released its bill (SPB 7016). “This legislation increases transparency and accountability for sponsors of initiatives; deters, prevents and penalizes fraudulent activities; and provides voters with objective information about financial impacts of proposed amendments at the front end of the process.”

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s Legislature is eyeing changes to the ballot initiative process after last year’s intense fight over two proposed amendments on abortion access and recreational marijuana. 

Opponents say the bill would consolidate more power in the hands of Tallahassee and monied special interests. Proponents say the changes ensure the integrity of the process and keep out-of-state special interests out. 

Florida’s ballot initiative process, a right guaranteed in the constitution, has long been used by groups to pass measures that have been otherwise stymied by state lawmakers. It’s how Florida got a $15 minimum wage, medical marijuana and felon voter restoration.

The process is among the hardest of any of the 24 states that allow citizens to directly amend their laws or constitution. Legislative changes have made the process in Florida harder and costlier in recent years. 

HB 1205 would continue that trend, about a dozen public commenters warned during the bill’s first committee meeting Thursday. 

They pointed to the bill’s requirement that sponsors put up a $1 million bond before collecting any petitions, as well as its proposals to increase fines, add new requirements and tighten the window to return petitions.

The SAVE Act is back, and it’s dangerous for democracy.

Unlike 2023, when the first national voter suppression law never reached Joe Biden’s desk, this version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act is on a fast track to Donald Trump.

If it passes, millions of married and divorced women  — Republican, independent and Democrat alike — will not be able to vote in federal elections.

All voters would face new hurdles. But birth certificate names are a key to this bill, and only one voting segment routinely changes their birth name: married women.

Under the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), people who register to vote or update their registration, even for something as minor as a change of address, will have to confirm their citizenship.

For most, that would require producing either a birth certificate or a passport.

However, roughly eight in 10 women take their husband’s surname when they marry, and many who divorce keep that name. As a result, their birth certificate name will not match their legal name.

The bill has nothing to say about citizens whose current legal name doesn’t match their birth name.

After initiatives to protect abortion rights and legalize marijuana failed in November, Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith filed a joint resolution to make it easier for voters to pass future constitutional amendments.

Under SJR 864, the threshold for ballot initiatives to pass would get lowered from 60% to 50%.

“We deserve a fair, democratic process for amending Florida’s constitution, but politicians + special interests put their thumb on the scale, blocking citizen-led initiatives to protect the status quo,” Smith, an Orlando Democrat, said on X.

The pro-abortion rights Amendment 4 initiative captured 57% of the vote, just short of the 60% supermajority to pass. Amendment 3 to legalize marijuana also failed with about 56% of the vote.

Smith is unlikely to make much progress in a Republican-controlled Legislature since it was Republicans who supported raising the bar to 60% in the first place.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, in fact, has recently pushed for making changes that would make it more difficult for citizen-led groups, like the abortion rights initiative, to get on the ballot

Tallahassee, FL – A State Affairs Committee elections bill filed Monday introduced legislation that would prohibit drop boxes for people to turn in their absentee or vote by mail ballots unless they are in the physical offices of county supervisors of elections or at an early voting polling place during hours when early voting can occur. If passed, PCB SAC 6 would ban almost all drop boxes that have worked effectively and safely in previous Florida elections.

The drop boxes have not gotten the attention of other aspects of the bill. But State Voices Florida condemns the banning of drop boxes and urges all legislators in the House and Senate to oppose it.  It will make it harder to vote in Florida, but won’t make our elections more secure.

What: An Invitation from Equal Ground, Florida Rising, SPLC  Action Fund, All Voting is Local, ACLU Florida, and the NAACP to a Press Conference and Voting Rights Rally calling for the passage of the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Voting Rights Act (Senate Bill 1522 and House Bill 1035). When: February 7, 2024 at noon. Where:  House Plaza (north side) at the Capitol, Tallahassee, FL. Featured Speakers: Senator Geraldine Thompson and Representative Lavon Bracy-Davis, sponsors of the legislation. Please RSVP here.

A federal judge stopped the enforcement of a Florida law in July that bans non-U.S. citizens from collecting or handling voter registrations. Now, the voting rights advocates are preparing to defend their temporary victory in an appellate court on Thursday. Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Attorney General Ashley Moody filed an appeal of U.S. Chief District Judge Mark Walker’s decision to stop the enforcement of the law just days after it went into effect. The appeal is set to be heard on Jan. 25 in the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As democratic ideals and values continue to face attacks from extremist politicians, Senator Geraldine Thompson (D-Orlando) and Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis (D-Orlando) proudly announce legislation to protect democracy and ensure equal access at the ballot box: the Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act (SB 1522/HB 1035).

Tallahassee, FL – Last week Senate Bill 1752 was introduced. This legislation would limit access to vote by mail, which is now available to any registered voter who requests it. State Voices Florida opposes this legislation. We believe everyone should have the right to vote, and voting should be simple and easy. SB 1752 will make it more difficult for all Floridians to vote regardless of their politics.

The Florida Legislative Session starts January 9th, and a coalition of Florida advocates and leaders spoke on the steps of St. Petersburg City Hall to demand lawmakers listen to the concerns of working Floridians. Jerry Funt is with activist group the Bay Area Dream Defenders. “Last year, these politicians handed out tax breaks to wealthy industries, they delivered contracts to their political donors, they dismantled regulations that keep you and I safe, and they neglected to deal with rising housing and insurance costs while spending public money to engage in culture wars that targeted our communities.”

A senator in Florida is pushing a bill that would make it more difficult to vote by mail.  Currently, people who want to vote by mail in the state of Florida simply register to vote and request a mail-in ballot.  However, Senate Bill 1752, filed by state Sen. Blaise Ingolia, would change that system with one word: eligibility. The bill says a qualified absent voter may vote by mail if, on election day and during early in-person voting, the absent voter expects to be: It’s a move that Ramon Perez, the executive director of the nonprofit organization Digital Democracy Project, believes would limit access to voting.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities, and that is what we hope to do, transform communities. State Voices Florida is a  statewide civic engagement organization committed to bringing together progressive Non Partisan organizations to work together in building power around civic issues.  If the progressive movement works together and speaks with one voice, great things will happen. We believe everyone should have the right to vote, and voting should be simple and easy. We also support reproductive rights, environmental justice, criminal justice reform, economic justice and affordable housing for everyone. Along with our partner organizations, we use data and technology, people-powered campaigns, and coalitions to collectively build a multiracial democracy that allows every Floridian to thrive and live in their full dignity. We are a member of the State Voices Affiliated Network, a network of state-based coalitions,

State Voices Florida, a 501©3 which helps grassroots organizations build year-round, long-term community involvement through civic engagement, called on Florida officials today to rethink new rules that make it harder for organizations to access the Florida Capitol building.