Common Cause has been fighting the influence of big money in politics for over 50 years. We spearheaded the campaign to defeat Amendment 6 on the 2024 ballot, and won.

Amendment 6 was defeated because Floridians know that voters should influence elections, not big money donors

Amendment 6 was put on the ballot by the Florida Legislature, not by the people of Florida. It proposed to repeal Article VI, Section 7 of the Florida Constitution, which requires the state to have a public financing program for candidates for Governor and Cabinet who agree to spending limits. If it passed, it would have also repealed the entire Florida Election Campaign Financing Act. Florida’s long tradition of public financing, which goes back to the 1980s, would have been be wiped out. But the people of Florida didn’t let it pass.

What is Florida’s public campaign financing program?

Its a program that matches small-dollar campaign donations made by everyday Florida residents.

The purpose of the program is defined right in the Laws of Florida: “to make candidates more responsive to the voters of the State of Florida and as insulated as possible from special interest groups.” THAT is the program Amendment 6 was trying to eliminate.

Public financing is part of the solution to the problem of money in politics because it increases engagement between candidates and the voters they seek to represent, makes constituents more important to campaigns, and encourages elected leaders to be more responsive to the communities they serve.

Amendment 6 was defeated because Floridians know that you should not have to be rich to run for office.

Floridians don’t want a state government that only has millionaires and billionaires in power.

We want elected leaders who understand our everyday lives — leaders who will enact policies that address the real challenges we face.

Public campaign financing not only opens doors to candidates who otherwise couldn’t take the financial leap to run for office, but it also makes constituents more important to campaigns and incentivizes elected leaders to be more responsive to the communities they serve.

Running an effective statewide campaign is incredibly expensive in Florida. This discourages good people from running for office if they are not wealthy. Public campaign financing helps foster a more diverse candidate pool and enables more regular Floridians to take the leap to run for office.

Amendment 6 was a continuation of the story of big money special interests trying to consolidate power and was yet another example of the Florida Legislature’s unpopular mission to reduce everyday Floridians’ influence on our government. But we, the people of Florida, showed that when we come together we can fight back and we can win.