HB 759

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to the presidential preference primary;
3amending s. 103.101, F.S.; revising the dates relating to
4the presidential preference primary; providing an
5effective date.
6
7Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
8
9     Section 1.  Subsections (1), (2), (3), and (6) of section
10103.101, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
11     103.101  Presidential preference primary.--
12     (1)  Each political party other than a minor political
13party shall, on the second last Tuesday in March January in each
14year the number of which is a multiple of 4, elect one person to
15be the candidate for nomination of such party for President of
16the United States or select delegates to the national nominating
17convention, as provided by party rule.
18     (2)(a)  There shall be a Presidential Candidate Selection
19Committee composed of the Secretary of State, who shall be a
20nonvoting chair; the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
21the President of the Senate; the minority leader of each house
22of the Legislature; and the chair of each political party
23required to have a presidential preference primary under this
24section.
25     (b)  By December October 31 of the year preceding the
26Florida presidential preference primary, each political party
27shall submit to the Secretary of State a list of its
28presidential candidates to be placed on the presidential
29preference primary ballot or candidates entitled to have
30delegates appear on the presidential preference primary ballot.
31The Secretary of State shall prepare and publish a list of the
32names of the presidential candidates submitted. The Secretary of
33State shall submit such list of names of presidential candidates
34to the selection committee on the first Tuesday after the first
35Monday in January each November of the year a preceding the
36presidential preference primary election is held. Each person
37designated as a presidential candidate shall have his or her
38name appear, or have his or her delegates' names appear, on the
39presidential preference primary ballot unless all committee
40members of the same political party as the candidate agree to
41delete such candidate's name from the ballot.
42     (c)  The selection committee shall meet in Tallahassee on
43the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January each
44November of the year a preceding the presidential preference
45primary is held. The selection committee shall publicly announce
46and submit to the Department of State no later than 5 p.m. on
47the following day the names of presidential candidates who shall
48have their names appear, or who are entitled to have their
49delegates' names appear, on the presidential preference primary
50ballot. The Department of State shall immediately notify each
51presidential candidate designated by the committee. Such
52notification shall be in writing, by registered mail, with
53return receipt requested.
54     (3)  A candidate's name shall be printed on the
55presidential preference primary ballot unless the candidate
56submits to the Department of State, prior to the second Tuesday
57after the first Monday in January November of the year preceding
58the presidential preference primary, an affidavit stating that
59he or she is not now, and does not presently intend to become, a
60candidate for President at the upcoming nominating convention.
61If a candidate withdraws pursuant to this subsection, the
62Department of State shall notify the state executive committee
63that the candidate's name will not be placed on the ballot. The
64Department of State shall, no later than the third Tuesday after
65the first Monday in January November of the year preceding the
66presidential preference primary, certify to each supervisor of
67elections the name of each candidate for political party
68nomination to be printed on the ballot.
69     (6)  Delegates must qualify no later than the second Friday
70in January November of the year preceding the presidential
71preference primary in the manner provided by party rule.
72     Section 2.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2010.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.