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FLORIDA JUST MADE DEMOCRACY A FELONY

Updated: May 9


2 people with a clipboard, paper, and pen
Citizen ballot initiatives involve petitions from thousands of people

On May 2, 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1205 into law—and with it, handed a loaded weapon to those who want to dismantle democracy in Florida.


This law doesn’t just “tighten procedures.” It criminalizes civic participation. If you’ve ever knocked doors, signed a petition, or tried to get an amendment on the ballot—you’re in the crosshairs.


HB 1205 isn’t about “protecting voters.” It’s about protecting power—from you.



What HB 1205 Really Does


  • Only Florida residents can circulate petitions

  • Circulators must register with the state and complete a training

  • Collecting more than 25 signatures without registering = a felony

  • Signers must provide SSN or driver’s license number

  • Petitions must be submitted within 10 days (previously 30)

  • Supervisors of Elections can now raise the cost of verifying petitions

  • State funds can no longer be used to support or oppose constitutional amendments



This law builds a bureaucratic minefield for any campaign hoping to put a question to voters. It’s designed to exhaust, intimidate, and criminalize ordinary people trying to exercise direct democracy.



Who This Law Is Meant to Silence


Grassroots movements—especially those led by and for working-class Floridians—are now in legal jeopardy. The law creates new barriers for initiatives that challenge corporate and political power, including:


  • Abortion rights initiatives

  • Marijuana legalization campaigns

  • Worker protections and living wage measures

  • Climate justice and clean water protections

  • Affordable housing amendments


Groups like the Rising Voices Collective, who work to empower Black and Brown organizers across Florida, now face more legal risk just for trying to get their communities heard. Every petition sheet is now a public record. Anyone can request your personal data—your name, your driver’s license number, even part of your Social Security number.


It’s surveillance. It’s suppression. And it’s intentional.



The Real Goal: Power Consolidation


DeSantis and the Florida GOP aren’t protecting voters—they’re protecting themselves. HB 1205 is a textbook authoritarian move: rig the rules when you can’t win the debate.


Florida already had one of the most restrictive ballot initiative systems in the country. Now, we’ve become a cautionary tale. As Ballot Access News reported, the new rules are so extreme they’ve triggered legal challenges across the state.


And that’s not just theory.


Florida Decides Healthcare, a grassroots campaign to expand Medicaid via a 2026 ballot initiative, is already suing the state. They’ve collected 100,000 signatures, but now face a legal labyrinth to get the remaining 780,000 needed.


It’s no coincidence. It’s sabotage.



This Is Bigger Than Florida


This isn’t just a Florida problem—it’s a national playbook.


Across the country, GOP-controlled legislatures are passing laws to strip citizens of their power to legislate through ballot initiatives. Missouri. Arkansas. Ohio. Now Florida. It’s an orchestrated effort to shut down the last pathway regular people have left when politicians refuse to listen.


If we lose the ballot, we lose the fight.



What You Can Do

  1. Share this article far and wide. Let people know what’s happening.

  2. Call your representatives and demand they repeal HB 1205.

  3. Support frontline fighters:



  5. Train up. Get legal help. Get loud. If you’re collecting signatures, protect yourself and your team. This is civil resistance now.




Final Word


HB 1205 is not just another law. It’s a warning. A red flag. A lit fuse.


It tells us that the Florida GOP is terrified—of you, of your voice, of your vote. And instead of listening, they’re trying to outlaw your power.


But they haven’t shut us down yet.


Organize like hell. Speak truth. And never stop reminding them:

We are the majority. We are not backing down.





Sources:






About the Author:

Graham E. Whitaker is a Florida-based writer, community organizer, and radical democracy agitator with Big Mouth Media. They write about power, protest, and the people pushing back.

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