St. PETERSBURG — Common Cause Florida is opposing Amendment 2, a ballot measure that will go before voters in the Nov. 8 election and stands to remove an important pathway Floridians have to change their state’s constitution.

Common Cause Florida’s advisory board voted unanimously to take a “no” position on Amendment 2, and joined other voting and policy groups such as the League of Women Voters of Florida and the LeRoy Collins Institute in opposition.

Legislative measures in recent years have made the citizen initiative process more difficult and more expensive, and getting rid of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) would further diminish citizen voice and input in state governance, said Amy Keith, Common Cause Florida’s program director.

“We have seen so many brazen attempts in recent years to undermine the will of the people in Florida, that taking away this generational opportunity for pursuing change makes no sense if we are to have a government that is truly by, of, and for the people,” Keith said.  

Every Florida voter will have a chance to vote on Amendment 2  during the Nov. 8 election cycle. Amendment 2 seeks to rid the state of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), a 37-member commission that convenes every 20 years; receives proposals from the public and hears about issues that matter to Floridians across the state; and proposes changes to the Florida Constitution. CRC members are appointed by the governor (15 members), legislative leaders (18), and the Florida Supreme court (3). The Attorney General also serves on the CRC. CRC proposals are put directly on the ballot for public vote and pass if 60% of voters approve.

The CRC is currently one of the main pathways to put constitutional amendments on the ballot, alongside amendments proposed by the legislature and amendments proposed through the citizen initiative process (changes to the constitution can also be proposed by the 20-yearly Taxation and Budget Reform Commission or by a full Constitutional convention). Amendment 2 would abolish the CRC, removing this way to amend the Florida Constitution.

The CRC should be reformed, but it should not be abolished. Important changes to Florida’s constitution have arisen directly or indirectly through the CRC process, such as the right to privacy, accessible polling places, ethics reform, and a ban of off-shore drilling. 

“Voters today don’t know what additional challenges Florida will be facing in 2037, which is all the more reason to keep the revision commission on the books,” Keith said.

For more information about Common Cause Florida’s position on Amendment 2, go here.