Jesse Scheckner
Amendment 4, which would codify abortion protections in the Florida Constitution, is at the top of Ballotpedia’s list of the most-watched ballot measures across the nation this year.
The nonprofit outlet just published its tally of the 15 ballot measures and trends that voters will most have their eyes on Nov. 5.
Abortion-related referendums in Arizona, Nebraska and Nevada and in cities in California and Texas also made the list. So did Florida’s expensive Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational cannabis in the Sunshine State.
But Amendment 4 will undoubtedly be among the most-watched, Ballotpedia staff wrote, due to three factors. Florida has the largest population among states considering a statewide abortion measure. The state has also trended more Republican in recent elections. And Florida requires a 60% vote for Amendment 4 to pass, a higher threshold than the others.
If passed, Amendment 4 would prohibit government intervention in abortion processes before fetal viability or when a patient’s health care provider says it is necessary to protect their health. It would undo Florida’s so-called “Heartbeat Protection Act” that Gov. Ron DeSantis quietly signed on April 14, 2023, which bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, with some exceptions for rape and incest.
DeSantis and his administration have tried to block Amendment 4 from making it onto Florida’s ballot and have threatened TV stations for playing ads advocating support for the measure. The latter actions, which Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody defended, came months after the majority-DeSantis-appointed Florida Supreme Court ruled that it could appear on the ballot.
Some recent polls have shown Amendment 4 has slightly more than enough support among likely voters to pass. But a new survey by Emerson College Polling/The Hill conducted Oct. 18-20 found it carries just 53% support. However, 17% of respondents say they remain undecided on the matter less than a month before Election Day.
Of Amendment 3, which would allow possession of up to 3 ounces of pot in Florida, Ballotpedia personnel wrote that it is “one of the most expensive ballot measure campaigns this year and, between supporters and opponents, the most expensive marijuana-related ballot measure election on record.”
Prior to Amendment 3, the priciest cannabis measure on record was Proposition 64, which California voters approved in 2016 after more than $27 million in donations toward both sides of the issue, most of it for pro-legalization interests.
Florida’s measure saw more than $118 million spent through early October — $105.2 million by pro-pot group Smart & Safe Florida and $13.4 million by anti-legalization interest Keep Florida Clean, Inc.
Proponents of the measure include the Florida Democratic Party and ex-President Donald Trump. The Republican Party of Florida and DeSantis oppose it.
