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When will we know if Florida Amendments 3 and 4 passed?
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When will we know if Florida Amendments 3 and 4 passed?

While the nation waits eagerly election results that will tell them who will lead the United States for the next four years, Floridians will be watching the results six constitutional amendments.

Florida amendment 3 and Amendment 4which focus on legalizing weed and protecting abortion rights, have been the heaviest furore from the state after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration spent millions on ads opposing both measures and is engaged in losing legal battles to remove them from vote.

DeSantis took protests in the months leading up choice after using taxpayer funds to pay for public service announcements attacking the measures, threatened to jail television stations that aired a pro-Amendment 4 ad and sent law enforcement to the homes of people who signed the Amendment 4 petition.

2024 Florida election results See who won and which amendments were approved

So when will Florida voters get to know the fate of six constitutional amendments? Here’s what we know.

When will we know the results of the Florida amendment election?

There’s a pretty good chance we’ll get a strong picture of how Florida feels about each of the six constitutional amendments on the ballot when the results start coming in at 8pm ET.

Under Florida law, counties can begin tabulating their results as they come in, meaning early voting and vote-by-mail results will be available immediately upon entry.

As of 2:26 PM on Election Day, nearly 8.3 million Florida voters had voted early or voted by mail, which is just under 60 percent of Florida’s 13,845,913 registered voters.

However, the preliminary results reported by the state starting at 8:00 p.m. will be unofficial. Counties have until noon on November 18 to submit their official statements. Strong early voting numbers could help the state announce results early.

Will Florida’s Amendment 3 and Amendment 4 pass? What do the polls say?

Recent polls looking at Florida residents’ support for Amendment 3 and Amendment 4 show that both are favored by a majority of voters, but are teetering on the edge of getting the necessary number of votes to pass.

The Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Laboratory (PolCom Laboratory) and Mainstreet Research USA conducted two polls between October 19 and October 27, reaching a combined 1,850 Florida voters.

The poll found that Amendment 3, which seeks to legalize recreational pot for adults, has substantial support, with 60% of voters in favor, 34% against and 4% undecided.

Amendment 4, which seeks to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution, shows significant support, with 58% of voters in favor, 32% against and 10% undecided.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.2%.

A University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Laboratory (PORL) poll published Oct. 21, polled 977 likely voters in Florida between Oct. 7 and Oct. 18. The poll showed strong support for Amendment 3, with 66% of voters indicating a “yes” vote, 30% saying they would vote “no” and 4.% undecided.

On Amendment 4, 60% of respondents said they would vote yes, 32% said they would vote no, and 8% were undecided.

The PORL poll has a margin of error of 3.49%.

How many votes does an amendment need to pass in Florida?

Florida constitutional amendments require a 60% supermajority to pass.

What are the six constitutional amendments on the Florida ballot?

With six amendments on the ballot, it can be hard to remember which is which. Here’s a quick breakdown:

  • Amendment 1: Establishing elections for school boards as partisan — Amendment 1 would require school district board members to state their political party designation on the ballot and be elected in a partisan election rather than the current nonpartisan election.

  • Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt — Amendment 2 would make fishing and hunting a public right by enshrining them in the state constitution.

  • Amendment 3: Personal use of marijuana by adults — Amendment 3 would make it legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana and up to 5 grams of cannabis concentrate. It would also allow them to possess, purchase and use marijuana products and paraphernalia without needing a medical marijuana card, as is the case now.

  • Amendment 4: Amendment to limit government interference in abortion — Amendment 4 would prohibit any law that limits abortion rights before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.

  • Amendment 5: Annual Inflation Adjustment for Homestead Property Tax Exemption Value — Amendment 5 seeks to require an annual inflation adjustment for the value of current or future household exemptions.

  • Amendment 6: Repealing the public campaign finance requirement — Amendment 6 seeks to repeal public campaign financing, which provides some candidates running for specific offices, such as governorships and other state cabinet positions, which is essentially a subsidy through the use of public money, provided that they must abide by certain restrictions on how much is spent.

This article originally appeared on the Pensacola News Journal: Florida Amendment Election Results: When Will We Know What Passed?