DeLand, FL - Government change comes in a number of fashions, including ballot initiatives. Volusia Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis says there are a few petitions with close to enough signatures to get on the 2020 ballot and one that has already surpassed the 766,200 signatures needed. The deadline for petitions to be turned in is February 1, 2020.
A petition sponsored by Florida Citizen Voters that would allow that only U.S citizens who are at least 18 years of age, a permanent resident of Florida and registered to vote as required by law, shall be qualified to vote in a Florida election. As of August 9, 2019, Volusia County has 26,626 signatures and Flagler County has 8,428 as of August 14, 2019.
Another petition, Raising Florida's Minumum Wage, has more than 690-thousand signatures at this time. The sponsor for the initiative is Florida for a Fair Wage and its chairperson is Attorney John Morgan. The petition would raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour effective September 30, 2021. It would increase one dollar per year every year until it reaches $15 hourly in 2026. From that point forward, future minimum wage increases shall revert to being adjusted annually for inflation starting September 30th, 2027. As of September 5, Volusia County has 28,341 signatures and Flagler County has 6,518.
There's also a petition for an amendment to prohibit possession of defined assault weapons, sponsored by Ban Assault Weapons Now. It does not restrict the possession of handguns or rifles and shotguns that hold less than ten rounds of ammunition at once. This one is only showing about 106,000 signatures at this time, with 1,823 signatures gathered in Volusia county and 258 in Flagler County.
A petition sponsored by Florida Decides Healthcare, Inc. which would require Medicaid coverage be available for adults between the ages of 18 and 65 whose income level is at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level, only has about 88-thousand signatures at this time and will likely not make the deadline.
If you'd like to know more about the petitions that are circulating, visit dos.elections.myflorida.com.
