FL Voters To Decide On 6 Constitutional Amendments: What To Know

FLORIDA — When Florida voters head to the polls Tuesday, they won't just be voting for the next U.S. president, members of Congress and other local races. They will also vote yes or no on six constitutional amendments, focusing on issues from abortion access to recreational marijuana to hunting rights.

Amendment 3 and Amendment 4 are focused on the most controversial topics. Amendment 3 will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana in the state, while Amendment 4 will enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

In Florida, a 60 percent supermajority vote is required to pass any constitutional amendment. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Nov. 5. Find your local polling precinct here.

Perhaps also the most consequential, here are Amendments 3 and 4 explained:

Amendment 3: Recreational Marijuana

Amendment 3 would legalize the use of recreational marijuana in Florida. If the measure passes, adults 21 years and older could possess up to three ounces of marijuana, as well as purchase and use marijuana products and accessories for non-medical reasons.

The measure would also allow treatment centers and other state-licensed facilities to grow, manufacture, sell and distribute marijuana products and accessories.

As of September 2024, 24 states and Washington, D.C., had legalized the possession and personal use of marijuana for recreational purposes, according to Ballotpedia.

"While Florida is the freest state in America, we still have outdated marijuana laws obstructing that freedom," Republican State Sen. Joe Gruters said in a new ad for Smart & Safe Florida, the political action committee that sponsored the measure. "Amendment 3 would give adults back that freedom, and give Florida a chance to legalize marijuana responsibly."

In a similar ad, former President Donald Trump also endorsed the measure, saying on Truth Social that "as a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3."

"It's gotta be done in a very concerted, lawful way," Trump said. "The way they’re doing it in Florida, it’s going to be very good."

Meanwhile, other organizations have spoken out against the measure, stating concerns about public health safety and welfare. Among them are the Florida Sheriff’s Association and the Florida Freedom Fund, created by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Florida Sheriff’s Association said it was against Amendment 3 because it would infringe upon “the rights of citizens to live and work in a community where drug use is not normalized and citizens are not affected by the adverse effects of drug misuse," according to a Florida Politics report.

DeSantis has called the measure a "ploy" by the state’s medical marijuana industry to create a monopoly and said its broad terms would allow people to carry dozens of pre-rolled “joints” and smoke them in public with no consequence.

Smart & Safe Florida hit back at the claim, saying Gruters has already drafted a bill to be filed in the 2025 legislative session that would ban public smoking of all substances, including marijuana.

"The Florida Legislature is empowered to regulate where and when adults can smoke marijuana in public, just like has been done with cigarettes and alcohol," the group said on its website.

What your vote would mean: A "yes" vote would support legalizing marijuana for adults 21 years old and older and allow individuals to possess up to three ounces of marijuana. A "no" vote opposes legalizing recreational marijuana for adult use in Florida.

Amendment 4: Abortion Access

If passed, Amendment 4 would prohibit state lawmakers from creating any law that would prohibit, penalize or restrict a person's right to an abortion before viability — considered somewhere over 20 weeks into pregnancy — or when necessary to protect the patient’s health.

The amendment would undo a law that took effect this year banning abortion in most cases after the first six weeks of pregnancy — before many women know they are pregnant.

The law, signed by DeSantis, changed the national abortion landscape. As a result, many Florida women are going out of state for abortions. Those from other places in the South with bans are also traveling farther rather than seeking services in Florida.

Florida is one of nine states with a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot to protect access to abortion. It's also the most expensive initiative — with about $150 million spent on ads, so far, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact — and perhaps most consequential.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, which describes itself as "a statewide campaign of allied organizations and concerned citizens working together to protect Floridians’ access to reproductive health care and defend the right to bodily autonomy," sponsored the initiative.

"The initiative is based on the premise that politicians are never more qualified to make health care decisions than women and their doctors – and doctors should not have to risk going to prison just to treat the patients they took an oath to heal and protect," according to a statement from the group, which collected close to a million petitions to put the measure on the ballot.

At least five political action committees registered to oppose the initiative including Florida Voters Against Extremism, Keep Florida Pro Life, Do No Harm Florida, Life First PC and Florida Freedom Fund.

Gov. DeSantis, who has been accused of tapping into government funds to lobby against the measure, argued that Amendment 4 would wipe out dozens of state regulations. He also called it "broad" and "ambiguously written."

Speaking against the measure, the group Vote No On FL 4 claimed on social media that Amendment 4 is dangerous due to a lack of definitions.

"It’s a small detail but a BIG Problem," the group wrote. "Without definitions, Amendment 4 could enable abortions at ANY time for almost ANY reason."

The measure has also been at the center of recent controversy on multiple fronts.

This month, the state health department told television stations they could be subject to criminal charges if they continue airing one ad from Floridians Protecting Freedom that the government says is untrue and creates a “sanitary nuisance.” The ad has continued to run anyway.

Separately, on Oct. 11, the Office of Election Crimes and Security issued a report claiming a “large number of forged signatures or fraudulent petitions” were submitted to get the question on the ballot. The state also announced a $328,000 fine against Floridians Protecting Freedom.

The campaign director for the group says that the campaign has been “above board” and that the state government is acting improperly to try to defeat the amendment.

“What we are seeing now is nothing more than dishonest distractions and desperate attempts to silence voters,” Lauren Brenzel said in a statement to the Associated Press.

What your vote would mean: A "yes" vote would support adding the following language to the Florida Constitution’s Declaration of Rights: "… no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider." Despite claims, a vote in favor of the measure would not remove the current constitutional provision that requires parents to be notified before a minor can receive an abortion.

A "no" vote would oppose adding the language and maintain Florida's current abortion laws.

Four additional amendments will give voters a say on issues including school board elections, the right to hunt and fish, and campaign financing. Here are those ballot measures explained:

Amendment 1: Partisan School Board Races

This measure proposes to amend the state constitution to require Florida school board candidates to be elected in a partisan election rather than through the nonpartisan elections currently in place.

Currently, only four states — Alabama, Connecticut, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania — have laws providing for partisan school board elections, according to Ballotpedia. Five states — Rhode Island, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia — provide for partisan or nonpartisan school board elections depending on the district.

A "yes" vote would support making school board elections partisan beginning with the November 2026 general election. A "no" vote would oppose making school board elections partisan and would maintain the current status of elections.

Amendment 2: Fishing, Hunting Rights

This measure proposes to amend the state constitution to "preserve forever fishing and hunting" as a public right and a preferred way of managing Florida's fish and wildlife populations.

A "yes" vote supports establishing a constitutional right to hunt and fish in Florida, while a "no" vote opposes it.

Amendment 5: Adjusted Homestead Exemptions

This measure proposes to amend the state constitution to require an annual adjustment for inflation for the value of current or future homestead exemptions. If passed, the measure would create an inflation adjustment for the second half of a property owner’s $50,000 reduction from the taxable value of their home.

A "yes" vote supports an annual inflation adjustment to the amount of assessed value that is exempt from property taxation and does not affect taxes that pay for schools, while a "no" vote opposes it.

Amendment 6: Public Campaign Financing

This measure proposes to amend the state constitution to repeal public campaign financing, a subsidy currently available for statewide candidates like the governor, attorney general and commissioner of agriculture who agree to spending limits.

A "yes" vote supports repealing the state constitutional provision that provides public funds to those running for state office. A "no" vote opposes repealing the provision.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.