Senate Bill sb2194

    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 2194

    By Senators Dyer, Dawson, Lawson, Miller, Rossin, Wasserman
    Schultz, Campbell and Klein




    41-1132-01

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to elections; providing

  3         legislative findings; requiring supervisors of

  4         elections to conduct voter-education projects;

  5         requiring reports to the Division of Elections;

  6         prescribing duties of the division; providing

  7         an appropriation; prescribing duties of the

  8         State Board of Education with respect to civic

  9         and voter education; providing an effective

10         date.

11

12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

13

14         Section 1.  The Legislature finds that the integrity

15  and accuracy of the electoral process will be enhanced as a

16  result of increases in the knowledge of and sophistication in

17  that process by the electors of this state. In order to

18  facilitate the informed participation by voters in this state:

19         (1)  The supervisor of elections in each county shall

20  conduct a voter-education program before the 2002 General

21  Election and, by comparing the percentage of misvoted ballots

22  in the 2000 General Election to the percentage of misvoted

23  ballots in the 2002 General Election, determine the

24  effectiveness of the voter-education program. The supervisors

25  shall report to the Division of Elections, describing the

26  programs and listing the respective percentages and the

27  division shall determine the relative effectiveness of

28  voter-education programs county-by-county. The division shall

29  report the results of this determination to the Legislature no

30  later than February 1, 2003, and shall include with its report

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






    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 2194
    41-1132-01




  1  any recommendations for statutory, statewide implementation of

  2  the most effective programs.

  3         (2)  The sum of ..... is appropriated from the General

  4  Revenue Fund to the Division of Elections for the purpose of

  5  making grants to supervisors of elections during the 2001-2002

  6  fiscal year to fund voter-education programs. The distribution

  7  of such funds shall be made per capita among the counties

  8  based on actual voter registration and not per capita based on

  9  each county's share of the total number of voters

10  participating in the 2000 General Election.

11         (3)  The State Board of Education shall adopt rules for

12  expanding quality civic education programs in high schools in

13  the state. The expansion must contain voter-education

14  programs, including basic instruction in voter skills. The

15  supervisor of elections in each county shall cooperate with

16  the county school board in conducting and implementing

17  voter-education programs provided for in this subsection, but

18  a voter-education under this subsection is in addition to, and

19  not in lieu of, a program required under subsection (1).

20         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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23                          SENATE SUMMARY

24    Requires supervisors of elections to conduct
      voter-education programs and to report the results of
25    such programs, represented by a comparison of misvoted
      ballots in the 2000 General Election versus the 2002
26    General Election. Appropriates moneys to the Division of
      Elections for distribution to counties to fund voter
27    education. Requires the State Board of Education to
      improve civic education, with emphasis on voter
28    education, in high schools.

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