Senate Bill sb1606

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1606

    By Senator Rich





    34-807-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to specifications for ballots;

  3         amending s. 101.151, F.S.; removing the

  4         provision requiring placement on a ballot of

  5         the names of the candidates for President and

  6         Vice President of the United States nominated

  7         by the political party receiving the most votes

  8         in the last gubernatorial election before all

  9         other candidates for President and Vice

10         President; requiring the placement of the names

11         of candidates nominated by major political

12         parties under the heading for each office

13         before placement of the names of other

14         candidates for each office; requiring the

15         rotation among precincts of the positions of

16         the names of major party candidates on general

17         election ballots and primary ballots; requiring

18         the rotation of the positions of the names of

19         major party candidates on absentee and early

20         voting ballots; requiring the name of each

21         major party candidate to appear, to the closest

22         degree possible, an equal number of times in

23         each major party ballot position; providing an

24         effective date.

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

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28         Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) and

29  paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 101.151, Florida

30  Statutes, are amended to read:

31         101.151  Specifications for ballots.--

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1606
    34-807-07




 1         (2)(a)  The ballot shall have headings under which

 2  shall appear the names of the offices and the names of the

 3  candidates for the respective offices in the following order:

 4  the heading "President and Vice President" and thereunder the

 5  names of the candidates for President and Vice President of

 6  the United States nominated by the political party that

 7  received the highest vote for Governor in the last general

 8  election of the Governor in this state.  Then shall appear the

 9  names of other candidates for President and Vice President of

10  the United States who have been properly nominated. Then shall

11  follow the heading "Congressional" and thereunder the offices

12  of United States Senator and Representative in Congress; then

13  the heading "State" and thereunder the offices of Governor and

14  Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial

15  Officer, Commissioner of Agriculture, state attorney, and

16  public defender, together with the names of the candidates for

17  each office and the title of the office which they seek; then

18  the heading "Legislative" and thereunder the offices of state

19  senator and state representative; then the heading "County"

20  and thereunder clerk of the circuit court, clerk of the county

21  court (when authorized by law), sheriff, property appraiser,

22  tax collector, district superintendent of schools, and

23  supervisor of elections. Thereafter follows: members of the

24  board of county commissioners, and such other county and

25  district offices as are involved in the election, in the order

26  fixed by the Department of State, followed, in the year of

27  their election, by "Party Offices," and thereunder the offices

28  of state and county party executive committee members.  In a

29  general election, in addition to the names printed on the

30  ballot, a blank space shall be provided under each heading for

31  an office for which a write-in candidate has qualified. With

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1606
    34-807-07




 1  respect to write-in candidates, if two or more candidates are

 2  seeking election to one office, only one blank space shall be

 3  provided.

 4         (3)(a)  On a general election ballot, the names of

 5  candidates nominated by a major political party shall be

 6  placed first under the heading for each office, together with

 7  an appropriate abbreviation of party name. Except for absentee

 8  ballots or when the number of candidates for a particular

 9  office is the same as the number of candidates to be elected

10  for that office, the names of the candidates of  a major party

11  on the ballot shall be rotated from one precinct to another so

12  that the name of each major party candidate appears, to the

13  extent possible, an equal number of times in each major party

14  ballot position. On absentee and early voting ballots, the

15  names of major party candidates for an office shall be rotated

16  so that the name of each major party candidate appears, to the

17  extent possible, an equal number of times in each major party

18  ballot position, unless the number of candidates for a

19  particular office is the same as the number of candidates to

20  be elected for that office. the party that received the

21  highest number of votes for Governor in the last election in

22  which a Governor was elected shall be placed first under the

23  heading for each office on the general election ballot,

24  together with an appropriate abbreviation of party name; the

25  names of the candidates of the party that received the second

26  highest vote for Governor shall be second under the heading

27  for each office, together with an appropriate abbreviation of

28  the party name.

29         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1606
    34-807-07




 1            *****************************************

 2                          SENATE SUMMARY

 3    Removes the provision requiring placement on a ballot of
      the names of the candidates for President and Vice
 4    President of the United States nominated by the political
      party receiving the most votes in the last gubernatorial
 5    election before all other candidates for President and
      Vice President. Requires the placement of the names of
 6    candidates nominated by major political parties under the
      heading for each office before placement of the names of
 7    other candidates for each office. Requires the rotation
      among precincts of the positions of the names of major
 8    party candidates on general election ballots and primary
      ballots. Requires rotation of the positions of the names
 9    of major party candidates on absentee and early voting
      ballots. Requires the name of each major party candidate
10    to appear, to the closest degree possible, an equal
      number of times in each major party ballot position.
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