Efforts to place a proposed constitutional amendment for recreational marijuana use on Florida’s November ballot are falling short. The state Division of Elections reported on Thursday that the political committee Smart & Safe Florida has collected **714,888 valid signatures**, a figure that remains **approximately 165,000 signatures short** of the **880,062** required to qualify for the ballot.
The update comes in the wake of a lawsuit filed by Smart & Safe Florida, which accused the state of mishandling the verification process of the signatures. The committee must also meet specific signature thresholds in congressional districts, intensifying the urgency as the **February 1, 2024** deadline approaches.
Discrepancies in Signature Verification Process
The Division of Elections’ website indicated that the committee had submitted **40,000 additional valid signatures** since the last update, which was two months prior. However, a disclaimer on the site noted that these totals do not reflect the complete verification process overseen by Secretary of State **Cord Byrd**.
County supervisors of elections are currently in the process of correcting records due to recent court rulings. These rulings require the invalidation of certain signatures based on various criteria, such as voter eligibility and allegations of fraud. The message on the state’s website stated that the verification process is ongoing, complicating the committee’s efforts to gain traction.
The legal dispute escalated when Smart & Safe Florida filed a lawsuit in **Leon County**, seeking to compel the elections office to update its information to reflect the valid signatures confirmed by county supervisors. The lawsuit argued that the state was in violation of a law mandating weekly updates on valid petition signatures from **December 1, 2023**, to **February 1, 2024**.
Legal Challenges and Political Maneuvering
A judge set an expedited schedule for the lawsuit, prompting lawyers for Governor **Ron DeSantis** to file documents stating that the website had been updated, albeit with limitations. In a declaration, **Maria Matthews**, Director of the Division of Elections, explained that her office had paused posting updated signature numbers after a court ruling required the invalidation of signatures not gathered using approved forms. This ruling affected about **200,000 signatures**, which were not included in the reported totals.
Judge **Jonathan Sjostrom** had previously ruled that the state improperly directed the invalidation of approximately **42,000 petitions** signed by inactive voters, although he upheld the directive to invalidate nearly **29,000 petitions** collected by non-resident petition gatherers. Both parties have appealed aspects of the ruling to the **1st District Court of Appeal**, which has now placed a hold on the decision regarding inactive voters.
The political landscape surrounding the amendment has intensified, with Attorney General **James Uthmeier** taking a strong stance against the initiative. On **January 12, 2024**, he announced the arrest of a Titusville woman for allegedly submitting fraudulent voter registrations linked to the marijuana petitions. Uthmeier’s office has since launched **46 criminal investigations** and issued subpoenas for records related to Smart & Safe Florida’s signature-gathering efforts.
Uthmeier has described the actions of the marijuana industry as a “direct attack on election integrity,” asserting that anyone involved in fraudulent activities will face repercussions. He is also advocating for the Florida Supreme Court to block the proposal from reaching voters, labeling it as misleading and fundamentally flawed.
Smart & Safe Florida continues to assert that its initiative meets legal requirements and should be allowed on the ballot. As the deadline approaches, the committee is racing against time to address the legal and procedural hurdles that stand in its way.
