How to vote on 12 constitutional amendments on Nov. 6 ballot | Our view

Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Show Caption Hide Caption How the 'bundling' of Constitutional Amendments Works How does the Constitution Revision Commission bundle several issues into each amendment? Here is how.

Florida voters face the daunting task of deciding on 12 statewide constitutional amendments on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Some of the amendments are "bundled" — meaning multiple issues appear under a single heading — making the choices even more confusing.

It's critical for voters to do their homework before heading to the polling place. The Editorial Board of Treasure Coast Newspapers has reviewed all 12 amendments to offer guidance:

Amendment 1

Adds a new homestead tax exemption for the assessed property value between $100,000 to $125,000.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: Florida already offers generous homestead exemptions totaling $50,000 for property owners who make their full-time residence here. Adding another $25,000 exemption would put pressure on local governments to cut services or raise property tax rates to make up for lost revenue.

Amendment 2

Permanently places a 10-percent cap on the annual increase of non-homestead property tax assessments. The cap was put in place in 2008, but it's set to expire in 2019.

Our recommendation: YES

Why: While our board has misgivings about the permanent nature of this extension, we recognize the burden it would impose on renters and small-business owners if the 10-percent cap is allowed to expire.

Amendment 3

Gives voters, instead of the Legislature, the exclusive right to decide whether a new facility offering casino-style games (slot machines, card games) can open in the state.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: On the surface, Amendment 3 empowers voters. But because the amendment would be statewide, voters in one part of the state would decide whether a gaming facility could open somewhere else. This would benefit larger companies that have the resources to gather hundreds of thousands of signatures needed for a referendum.

MORE: Meet the candidates running for election on the Treasure Coast

A Look at Florida's Tax Amendments How does the Constitution Revision Commission bundle several issues into each amendment? Here is how.

Amendment 4

Restores voting rights to former felons who served their sentence, including parole and probation, with the exception of those convicted of murder and sexual offenses.

Our recommendation: YES

Why: Florida is an outlier in this realm. It's one of four states that doesn't automatically restore voting rights to those who have completed their sentences. Our state as a whole benefits when citizens who have completed their sentences can become productive members of society — and that includes voting. Moreover, Florida's current clemency system, which gives full power to the governor and Cabinet, is broken and arbitrary.

Amendment 5

Requires a two-thirds vote in the Florida House and Senate — instead of a simple majority — to raise state taxes.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: It would allow the minority to kill a proposal, awarding a relatively small number of lawmakers power over the entire 160-member Legislature.

MORE: Florida voters will face tortured calculations thanks to 'bundling'

Note: Amendments 6 through 13 were placed on the ballot by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years to propose changes to the Florida Constitution. Amendment 8 was stricken from the ballot by the Florida Supreme Court.

Amendment 6

Includes three separate proposals:

Expands the scope of victims' rights under the Florida Constitution, including victims' rights to due process, under what's known as Marsy's Law;

Raises the mandatory retirement age of Florida judges from 70 to 75;

Prohibits state courts from deferring to an administrative agency's interpretation of a state statute or rule.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: Our editorial board is philosophically opposed to the Constitution Revision Commission's practice of "bundling" unrelated amendments on the ballot. These proposals are vastly different and have far-reaching consequences that voters should be allowed to consider separately.

Amendment 7

Includes three separate proposals:

Requires mandatory payment of death benefits and waives some educational expenses to qualifying survivors of first responders and military members who die performing official duties, which is already in state law (and adds paramedics and emergency medical technicians to the list);

Requires supermajority votes by university trustees and state university system boards of governors to raise or impose fees;

Establishes the existing Florida College System as a constitutional entity.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: Again, the Constitution Revision Commission bundled three different proposals. We are philosophically opposed to asking voters to cast a single vote for multiple changes to the state constitution.

Amendment 9

Includes two separate proposals:

Prohibits oil and gas drilling in offshore areas controlled by the state (but not federal waters);

Prohibits the indoor use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices, with the exception of standalone bars or hotel rooms where smoking is allowed.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: While our editorial board opposes offshore drilling in state waters, we also are philosophically opposed to the Constitution Revision Commission's "bundling" of these unrelated issues into a single amendment.

MORE: Keep Florida closed to offshore drilling

Amendment 10

Includes four proposals:

Requires the Legislature to start its annual session in January instead of March during even-numbered years;

Creates a counter-terrorism and security office within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement;

Requires the state to have a Department of Veterans Affairs, which already exists.

Requires that all 67 counties elect their sheriff, tax collector, elections supervisor and clerk of courts. Several Florida counties, such as Miami-Dade, now have at least one of these positions appointed.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: The bundling of these unrelated proposals is ridiculous. Additionally, Amendment 10 infringes on the home rule of counties that choose to appoint their officials.

Amendment 11

Includes three proposals:

Deletes language in the Constitution that prevents non-citizens from buying, selling, owning or inheriting property;

Deletes language approving a high-speed rail, which Floridians voted against in 2004;

Deletes the “Savings Clause," which forbids making changes to criminal sentencing laws retroactive.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: While these three proposals are reasonable on their own — each represents a sensible "cleaning up" of constitutional language — we are opposed to the Constitution Revision Commission's practice of bundling them into one amendment.

Amendment 12

Expands ethics rules for public officials — elected officials, judges and government employees — and essentially bans them from lobbying the state and federal governments during their terms of office and for six years after they leave office.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: While we support enhanced ethics rules for public officials, we have concerns about enshrining such specific limits in the state's governing document. That would make them more difficult to adjust in the future. These rules should be addressed transparently by the state Legislature.

Amendment 13

Ends commercial greyhound and other dog racing by 2020 while allowing tracks to continue to offer other gaming activities such as card games.

Our recommendation: NO

Why: This issue should be addressed by the Legislature, not in the state's primary governing document.

These amendment recommendations were decided collectively by the Editorial Board of Treasure Coast Newspapers, with contributions from the editorial board of our sister news organization, FLORIDA TODAY.