Florida Senate - 2019                                     SB 508
       
       
        
       By Senator Gruters
       
       
       
       
       
       23-01004-19                                            2019508__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to specifications for ballots;
    3         amending s. 101.151, F.S.; requiring ballots to use a
    4         uniform vote target throughout the state; defining the
    5         term “vote target”; requiring the Secretary of State
    6         to solicit certain votes from the supervisors of
    7         elections and to require the immediate implementation
    8         of a uniform vote target; providing a procedure to
    9         change the uniform vote target; requiring a supervisor
   10         of elections who must make a substantial change to a
   11         voting system to implement the uniform vote target
   12         within a specified period; providing an effective
   13         date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Present subsection (9) of section 101.151,
   18  Florida Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (10), and a new
   19  subsection (9) is added to that section, to read:
   20         101.151 Specifications for ballots.—
   21         (9)(a) Ballots must use a uniform vote target throughout
   22  the state. For purposes of this subsection, “vote target” means
   23  an area on a ballot where a voter indicates his or her ballot
   24  selection, and includes, but is not limited to, an oval, square,
   25  rectangle, or broken arrow.
   26         (b) On or before January 1, 2020, the Secretary of State
   27  shall solicit the electronic votes of the supervisors of
   28  elections on the uniform vote target, and shall require
   29  supervisors of elections to immediately implement a vote target
   30  that receives at least a two-thirds majority vote. Thereafter,
   31  the Secretary of State shall solicit the electronic votes of the
   32  supervisors of elections on the uniform vote target when at
   33  least 10 percent of the supervisors of elections formally
   34  petition for a change in the vote target, and shall require
   35  supervisors of elections to immediately implement a vote target
   36  that receives a unanimous vote.
   37         (c) Paragraph (b) notwithstanding, a supervisor of
   38  elections who must make a substantial change to a voting system
   39  in order to comply with this requirement shall implement the
   40  uniform vote target as soon as is practicable within 6 years
   41  after such vote target is selected.
   42         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.