| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to ballot specifications; amending s. |
| 3 | 101.151, F.S.; revising provisions relating to the |
| 4 | placement of candidate names on ballots; providing an |
| 5 | effective date. |
| 6 |
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| 7 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) and paragraph |
| 10 | (a) of subsection (3) of section 101.151, Florida Statutes, are |
| 11 | amended to read: |
| 12 | 101.151 Specifications for ballots.-- |
| 13 | (2)(a) The ballot shall have headings under which shall |
| 14 | appear the names of the offices and the names of the candidates |
| 15 | for the respective offices in the following order: the heading |
| 16 | "President and Vice President" and thereunder the names of the |
| 17 | candidates for President and Vice President of the United States |
| 18 | nominated by the political party that received the highest vote |
| 19 | for Governor in the last general election of the Governor in |
| 20 | this state. Then shall appear the names of other candidates for |
| 21 | President and Vice President of the United States who have been |
| 22 | properly nominated. Then shall follow the heading |
| 23 | "Congressional" and thereunder the offices of United States |
| 24 | Senator and Representative in Congress; then the heading "State" |
| 25 | and thereunder the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, |
| 26 | Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, Commissioner of |
| 27 | Agriculture, state attorney, and public defender, together with |
| 28 | the names of the candidates for each office and the title of the |
| 29 | office which they seek; then the heading "Legislative" and |
| 30 | thereunder the offices of state senator and state |
| 31 | representative; then the heading "County" and thereunder clerk |
| 32 | of the circuit court, clerk of the county court (when authorized |
| 33 | by law), sheriff, property appraiser, tax collector, district |
| 34 | superintendent of schools, and supervisor of elections. |
| 35 | Thereafter follows: members of the board of county |
| 36 | commissioners, and such other county and district offices as are |
| 37 | involved in the election, in the order fixed by the Department |
| 38 | of State, followed, in the year of their election, by "Party |
| 39 | Offices," and thereunder the offices of state and county party |
| 40 | executive committee members. In a general election, in addition |
| 41 | to the names printed on the ballot, a blank space shall be |
| 42 | provided under each heading for an office for which a write-in |
| 43 | candidate has qualified. With respect to write-in candidates, if |
| 44 | two or more candidates are seeking election to one office, only |
| 45 | one blank space shall be provided. |
| 46 | (3)(a) On a general election ballot, the names of |
| 47 | candidates nominated by a political party other than a minor |
| 48 | political party shall be placed first under the heading for each |
| 49 | office, together with an appropriate abbreviation of party name. |
| 50 | Except for absentee ballots or when the number of candidates for |
| 51 | a particular office is the same as the number of candidates to |
| 52 | be elected for that office, the names of the candidates of a |
| 53 | party other than a minor party on the ballot shall be rotated |
| 54 | from one precinct to another such that the name of each party |
| 55 | candidate shall appear, insofar as may be reasonably possible, |
| 56 | substantially an equal number of times in each ballot position |
| 57 | of a party other than a minor party. On absentee and early |
| 58 | voting ballots, the names of party candidates under this |
| 59 | paragraph for an office shall be rotated such that the name of |
| 60 | each party candidate shall appear, insofar as may be reasonably |
| 61 | possible, substantially an equal number of times in each party |
| 62 | ballot position, unless the number of candidates for a |
| 63 | particular office is the same as the number of candidates to be |
| 64 | elected for that office. This paragraph applies only to |
| 65 | candidates nominated by a party other than a minor political |
| 66 | party. The names of the candidates of the party that received |
| 67 | the highest number of votes for Governor in the last election in |
| 68 | which a Governor was elected shall be placed first under the |
| 69 | heading for each office on the general election ballot, together |
| 70 | with an appropriate abbreviation of party name; the names of the |
| 71 | candidates of the party that received the second highest vote |
| 72 | for Governor shall be second under the heading for each office, |
| 73 | together with an appropriate abbreviation of the party name. |
| 74 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |