TALLAHASSEE, FL — The US District Court for the Northern District of Florida issued a limited ruling striking down the application of specific provisions of Florida’s House Bill 1205. The ruling allows noncitizen members of the League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to collect signed citizen ballot initiative petitions supporting the sponsors of three initiatives, Medicaid Expansion, the Right to Clean Water Initiative, and Legal Marijuana. The Court’s ruling also extends to any of LWVFL’s members who live outside Florida and who wish to collect signed petitions for these sponsors. To qualify for the ballot in 2026, these sponsors must collect a certain number of petitions by February 2026.
The Court unfortunately upheld the other challenged provisions of Florida’s House Bill 1205 that require all volunteer circulators who collect more than 25 signed petitions from nonfamily members to register with the State and sign petition circulator affidavits to accompany each signed petition they collect. The law, enacted earlier this year, imposes sweeping new restrictions on the state’s citizen ballot initiative process, threatening core constitutional rights of all Floridians and the ongoing signature-gathering efforts of LWVFL and LULAC. LWVFL and LULAC are represented by the Democracy Defenders Fund.
“We are pleased the court has blocked the provision of the law that forbids the League's members from participating in direct democracy efforts if they are noncitizens,” said Cecile Scoon and Debbie Chandler, former co-presidents of LWVFL and individual plaintiffs in the litigation. “The League relies upon the communication efforts of noncitizens to help us educate new citizens who have language barriers, and we encourage all residents to participate in our democracy and engage in the ballot initiative process, even when you can't cast a ballot. There is still a long road ahead, but we are proud to be part of this fight.”
“Across the country, anti-voter legislatures are targeting ballot initiative processes and the pro-democracy groups that engage in them,” said Marcia Johnson, chief counsel of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “The League is proud to fight for access to direct democracy in Florida, and we celebrate this win. We know there is more to do to ensure that Florida voters can have a real voice in their state, and you can count on the League to always fight for voters.”
“Today’s ruling provides some relief for the noncitizen members of LULAC who wished to participate in the political process this year by collecting petitions on behalf of sponsors,” said Roman Palomares, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). “Generally, ballot initiatives have been one of the few ways for people without political power to make real change. While the decision permits LULAC members who are noncitizens to collect petitions on behalf of current sponsor organizations, we recognize that its scope is narrow.”
“This decision provides a narrow preliminary victory that will allow noncitizen members of LWVFL and LULAC to continue collecting signed petitions supporting the current sponsors of initiatives,” said Pooja Chaudhuri deputy litigation director of the Democracy Defenders Fund. “The ruling also extends relief to LWVFL’s out-of-state members who wish to gather signed petitions on behalf of the current sponsors. We are proud to represent two of the nation’s premier advocacy groups in this fight.”
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