No. CS/SB 620
Filed under Elections.
Candidate Qualifying; Requiring a candidate for federal office to state in writing whether he or she intends to trade stock while serving in federal office; requiring candidates to ensure they satisfy statutory and constitutional requirements for office; requiring certain candidates to provide to the filing officer a statement disclosing dual citizenship for nomination and election to a judicial office or to a district school board; requiring candidates for representative to Congress seeking ballot position by petition to obtain a specified percentage of signatures to qualify for such office, etc.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDA new court process lets a rival candidate, a political party, or an affiliated committee sue to disqualify a candidate who won't meet the legal requirements for the office. A final court order can strip the candidate from the ballot entirely.
If ballots are already printed by the time a candidate is disqualified, voters instead get a notice at early-voting sites, polling places, and with their mail ballots warning that a vote for that candidate will not count.
Candidates now swear in writing that they meet every qualification for the office, and must disclose any citizenship in another country. Candidates for federal office must also say whether they intend to trade stocks once elected, or traded stocks while previously in federal office.
For the 2026 election only, a congressional candidate qualifying by petition needs signatures equal to one-third of one percent of the average congressional district's population, gathered from any registered Florida voter regardless of district.
AIA candidate, a political party with a candidate in the race, or an affiliated party committee may sue in circuit court to have a candidate declared unable to meet the statutory or constitutional requirements for the office sought.
AIOnce a court's disqualification order is final, the supervisor of elections must strike the candidate from the ballot, or, if ballots are already printed, post and mail notice that a vote for that candidate will not count.
AICandidates qualifying for federal, state, county, district, judicial, or school-board office must now swear in writing whether they hold citizenship in another country besides the United States, and name that country if so.
AIAt the time of filing the statement of candidacy, a candidate must sign an oath affirming that they meet, or will meet by the time of election or taking office, every qualification for the office sought.
AIA candidate for federal office must state in writing, when signing the candidate oath, whether he or she intends to trade stocks if elected to that office.
AIA federal-office candidate who previously held federal office must disclose, as part of qualifying, whether they traded stocks while serving in that earlier office.
AIFor the 2026 General Election only, a congressional candidate qualifying by petition must obtain signatures equal to one-third of 1 percent of the state's average congressional-district population, rather than any district-specific figure.