The Florida Senate

The bill enhances enforcement of statutory and constitutional requirements relating to elections and clarifies and updates election administration processes, as follows.

Related to the requirement that voters be United States citizens, effective January 1, 2027, the bill:

• Revises voter registration processes to require a check of Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) REAL ID data related to citizenship for new voter registration applicants and voters updating registrations.
• Amends voter list maintenance requirements to prescribe actions the Department of State must take when registered voters have been identified by information from other governmental entities as potentially ineligible based on their citizenship status, and requires supervisors of elections to conduct notice and voter registration removal proceedings for such persons.
• Specifies a list of documents a voter or voter registration applicant may provide as evidence of United States citizenship if identified as potentially ineligible.

The bill also requires that by July 1, 2027, a Florida driver license or identification card issued to a United States citizen include the person’s citizenship status, and that the DHSMV issue a free renewal or replacement Florida driver license or identification card if a licensee or cardholder becomes a United States citizen and timely updates his or her legal status.

Related to candidate qualifications, upon becoming a law, the bill:

• Prohibits a person from qualifying if he or she does not meet political party affiliation requirements or if he or she legally changes his or her name through the general petition process during the 365 days preceding qualifying, and provides a civil cause of action for enforcement.
• Creates a civil cause of action by which a candidate’s compliance with statutory and constitutional requirements may be enforced.
• Requires a candidate to provide a written oath or affirmation that he or she will meet all statutory and constitutional requirements for the office sought.
• Requires a candidate to provide a written oath or affirmation regarding any dual citizenship he or she may possess.
• Requires a candidate for federal office to make a written disclosure and written oath or affirmation regarding stock trading while in office.

Related to violations of elections laws, effective July 1, 2026, the bill:

• Creates a five-year statute of limitations for a prosecution of a felony violation of the Election Code.
• Revises the racketeering definition’s inclusion of “a violation of the Florida Election Code relating to irregularities or fraud involving issue petition activities” to instead cite specific sections of law that establish related crimes.
• Adds to the prohibition against a foreign national making or offering to make a contribution or expenditure in connection with an election, to also prohibit a political party, political committee, electioneering communications organization, or candidate from knowingly and willfully accepting or soliciting a contribution from a foreign national in connection with an election.

Effective January 1, 2027, the bill:

• Amends the voter registration application, to require an applicant to acknowledge that it is a third degree felony to swear or affirm or otherwise submit false information on a voter registration application.
• Updates definitions relating to ballots and voting systems and clarifies the use of ballot-on-demand technology for production of early voting ballots.
• Specifies that voting must be done by paper ballot unless a voter requests to use a voter interface device.
• Removes student identifications, retirement center identifications, neighborhood association identifications, and public assistance identifications from the types of photo identifications that are acceptable for use in voting.
• Revises the time at which the Elections Canvassing Commission meets.
• Clarifies existing election returns reporting requirements.
• Deletes outdated language regarding the treatment of spoiled ballots.
• Sets the registration date for valid voter registrations and updates as the date the application was initially received once the required evidence is verified, except for changes to party affiliation which, if registration books are closed for a primary election, are effective for subsequent general election.

Upon becoming a law, the bill authorizes an office of the supervisor of elections to close for other federal, state, or locally approved holidays, in addition to legal holidays, if the supervisor’s duties do not otherwise require the office to remain open.

If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor's signature, these provisions take effect on January 1, 2027.

Vote: Senate 27-12; House 77-28