Amendment 6: Repeal of public campaign financing

Florida helps to fund the campaigns of all statewide office candidates, including the governor, attorney general, chief financial officer, and agriculture commissioner. If passed, Amendment 6 will remove that funding.

A candidate must meet several requirements and agree to campaign spending limits, and then that funding is theirs. Some of those requirements are:

• Agreeing to expenditure limits.
• Raise between $100,000-150,000, depending on what position you are running for.
• Submit a post-election financial audit.

A vote for Amendment 6 means statewide candidates are now on their own without the help of funds. A vote against Amendment 6 means voting for campaign funding to stay.

So why is the state funding political campaigns in the first place?

The Executive Director of Common Cause Florida told WINK News that the money gives everyone interested in running for public office a chance they might not otherwise have. She fears what would happen if Amendment 6 passes.

“It’s going to be harder for women, for people of color, and really for anybody from a middle-class background, or anybody who’s not independently wealthy to run for statewide office,” Amy Keith, the Executive Director of Common Cause Florida, said.

Evan Power, the Chair of the Republican Party of Florida, argues using taxpayer dollars for any political campaign is not in the people’s best interest.

“If your message is taking off, you’re going to find donors who are willing to participate in the process with you. If you’re not, you’re not going to do that,” Power said.

Florida introduced taxpayer-financed campaigns in 1998. Power said it’s outdated in 2024.

“Taxpayers don’t need to pay for people to campaign politically. People can raise their own money. It’s a refuge of an old system. And you know, at the end of the day, if people are popular and the voters want to hear their opinions and their thoughts, they’re going to be able to raise that money from donors,” Power said.

Supporters say the amendment would save taxpayer money and help fund other government services. Critics say it will benefit candidates getting big-donor cash.

“Amendment 6, if it passes, it’s going to make it harder for a more diverse group of new leaders to run for office in our state, and it’s going to decrease the influence of small-dollar donors and everyday Floridians,” Keith said.

For Amendment 6 to pass, 60% percent of Florida voters must vote yes.

“We’re taking taxpayer money, and we want to use it in the right way, not to help career politicians communicate with them,” Power said.

“We are a state on the forefront of public campaign financing as part of the battle against money in politics, and if this were to pass in Florida this year, it would be a blow to that fight nationwide,” Keith said.

A vote for Amendment 6 means candidates won’t have funding. A vote against Amendment 6 is voting for funding to stay.

Read the full amendment here.