In Tallahassee, the move comes amid pressure from advocates who are eager to see the proposal on next year’s ballot. This follows a complaint lodged by the group Smart & Safe Florida, which accused Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration of attempting to improperly hinder the measure from appearing on the 2026 ballot.

On November 17, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd responded to the legal challenge, stating that the lawsuit should be considered moot and called for its dismissal. The state has since issued a formal notification to Smart & Safe Florida and forwarded the proposed amendment to the state’s attorney general, marking an official step in the process.

These actions confirm that the campaign has successfully collected the necessary number of voter petitions to move forward. This accomplishment triggers a critical review by the state Supreme Court of the proposed amendment’s language, a requirement under Florida law for any initiative aiming to appear on the ballot.

Those steps represent official confirmation that the campaign has gathered the hundreds of thousands of voter petitions needed to qualify for the ballot, triggering the process for the state Supreme Court to ultimately review the proposed amendment language. Those steps are required by state law in order for the issue to advance to the ballot.

The dispute follows a yearslong clash between progressive organizers seeking to amend the state’s constitution, and the conservative governor, who in 2024 used state money and his political influence to successfully campaign against efforts to legalize adult personal use of marijuana and expand abortion rights.

For years, Florida voters have turned to the citizens’ ballot initiative process to bypass the Republican-dominated Legislature and advance progressive policies such as raising the minimum wage and restoring the voting rights of people with felony convictions.

In May, DeSantis signed a law creating new hurdles for citizen-driven ballot initiatives, changes critics say would make it prohibitively expensive and effectively impossible for grassroots campaigners to get issues on the ballot. Since the passage of the law, a campaign to expand Medicaid in the state announced it’s delaying its push to get the question on the ballot until 2028.

Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.