Florida Supreme Court Rejects Both Parties - Clears Path For Primary Election Overhaul

image
Published: 20 Mar, 2020
1 min read

Tallahassee, FL - In a stunning rebuke of the Repunlican and Democratic parties and Attorney General Ashley Moody, the Florida Supreme Court cleared the way for voters to decide whether to overhaul the state’s primary-election system

The ruling will be on the November 2020 ballot so voters can decide whether to replace Florida's closed primary system with a nonpartisan top two system for state offices.  

In a 4-1 decision, justices approved the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow registered voters to cast ballots in primary elections regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates getting the most votes in each primary would advance to the general election.

Chief Justice Charles Canady and justices Ricky Polston, Jorge Labarga and Alan Lawson:  “The ballot summary clearly and unambiguously explains the chief purpose of the initiative, which is to allow all registered voters to vote in primary elections in Florida for state Legislature, governor and Cabinet. Further, the ballot summary explains the details of this change in the primary election process by outlining that if the initiative passes, all candidates for an office will appear on the same primary ballot, and the two highest vote getters will advance to the general election.”

The Republican Party of Florida and the Florida Democratic Party united in court to try to block the proposed amendment.

All Voters Vote has cleared all hurdles and will be on the ballot this November.  

The proposal will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 3.

You Might Also Like

Why Mathematicians Love Ranked Choice Voting
Why Mathematicians Love Ranked Choice Voting
The Institute for Mathematics and Democracy (IMD) has released what may be the most comprehensive empirical study of ranked choice voting ever conducted. The 66-page report analyzes nearly 4,000 real-world ranked ballot elections, including some 2,000 political elections, and more than 60 million simulated ones to test how different voting methods perform....
11 Dec, 2025
-
4 min read
California flag
Quirk Silva’s Exit Sparks a High-Profile Orange County Clash, Where Independent Voters Control the Math
California’s 67th Assembly District stretches across parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties, connecting some of the region’s most dynamic and diverse suburban communities. It includes the entire cities of Cerritos, La Palma, Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia, Buena Park, and Cypress, as well as portions of Fullerton and Anaheim....
18 Dec, 2025
-
6 min read
Donald Trump
Trump Signs Order to Reclassify Cannabis to Schedule III
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will officially move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a decision that marks the most significant change to U.S. drug policy since the early 1970s....
18 Dec, 2025
-
2 min read