What You Need To Know About Florida's Ballot Measures

In this past election, only three of the 11 proposed changes to the Florida Constitution on this year's ballot actually passed.

The ballot measures covered issues like tax cuts, the Florida Supreme Court, abortion and public funding of religious groups.

There are a lot of theories as to why this happened: a historically long ballot might have fatigued people by the time they got to the ballot measures, the amendments themselves were lengthy and confusing, lines were too long and polling places were chaotic, etc.

Just before Veterans Day, the results of November's election provided some relief for veterans and their spouses in Florida.

Among the many measures up for vote on this year's long and complicated ballot, were two tax exemptions aimed at helping out military families. Those two measures were among three that actually passed last week. There were 11 ballot measures in total.

The voting is over, ballots have been cast, and even though all the results may not be in--Florida has spoken.  Many voters voiced their frustration with the long lines and are demanding to know: why did the state shorten early voting and what went wrong on election night?  President Obama won this election, but the biggest news in Florida is the state's continued troubles with administering an election.  

8:27 Ballot Measure and Big Races

Here are some things that happened at the top and bottom of the ballot last night.

First, 8 of the 11 ballot measures failed this year.

Only three of these ballot measures passed:

This weekend, thousands of early voters in Miami stood through some very long lines.

And it looks like the line hasn't let up.

On Monday afternoon, a workday, lines where still up to four hours in Miami Dade.

At North Dade Regional Library the wait was three-and-a-half hours. At Coral Reef and West Dade Regional Library it was about three hours, as well. However, the longest lines in the county were at North Dade Regional Library, where the wait time there was a grueling four hours. 

Besides the 11 proposed amendments to the state Constitution, Miami-Dade dwellers will also be deciding the fate of 8 proposed charter amendments.

 These charter amendments are significantly shorter than the state-level changes, but there are quite a few of them-- and like most ballot measures, they can be kind of confusing. However, here is our breakdown created with the help of The Florida League of Women Voters' 2012 Voting Guide. 

For those of you currently mulling over your absentee ballot or preparing to head over to the polls this coming week, don't be alarmed when you get to the Constitutional amendments on your ballot.

You will notice that there are amendments listed one through twelve-- but there's no Amendment 7.

 No worries, though. Your ballot isn't defective, there just is no Amendment 7 this year.

 This is why:

Here at WLRN-Miami Herald News we put together a guide to explain Florida's lengthy and somewhat confusing ballot measures for you. We've focused on what, exactly, the measures mean and what the policy implications are.

Advocacy groups across the state have taken it a step further. A number of organizations have developed ballot voting guides with suggestions on how to vote.  

This month, WLRN, along with the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and other NPR affiliates all over the state, gave you close look at four proposed changes to the state Constitution that Floridians will vote on in November. You can listen to and read those stories here. However, there are another 7 ballot measures that voters will get a say on here in Florida.

So, here is a breakdown of what ALL the ballot measures mean:

Amendment 1

TOPIC: Health Care

Salon profiled Florida's Amendment 6,  one of the most controversial ballot measures facing approval from Florida voters  Nov. 6.

The ballot item is aimed at removing a constitutional right to privacy currently in Florida's Constitution, but it also might cut abortion coverage in some cases for the state's public employees, Salon reports.

The amendment also has language that would prohibit the use of taxpayer money for abortions in the state.

Amendment 3 on Florida’s ballot this year, if passed, will change how the state figures out how much money it can collect in taxes.

Opponents all over the state, however, say this one change could lead to massive cuts in state services such as health care and education.

How Amendment Three Works

In 2011, the Florida Legislature set out to restructure the Florida Supreme Court.

Even though that effort failed, Republican Lawmakers did get a proposal for big changes onto this year’s ballot.

However, some say this effort could politicize and change the face of Florida’s highest court.

Will New Rules Make Florida's Highest Court Less Impartial?

One of the constitutional amendments on the ballot this November takes on the controversial and politically charged issue of abortion.

Amendment 6, if passed, would prohibit public funding for abortions in the state, but it would also take away a right to privacy explicitly contained in Florida’s Constitution.

This has women’s rights activists in the state up in arms over concerns that this could be the beginning of greater abortion restrictions.

A Right To Privacy

In November, Floridians will decide whether or not to remove a state ban that prohibits the use of tax money for the funding of religious groups.

While the Catholic Church in the state remains one of the biggest proponents of this so-called “Religious Freedom” amendment, some religious leaders are weary of the measure.

Guillermo Marquez-Sterling, a pastor at the United Church of Christ in Coral Gables, says he’s concerned that, if Amendment 8 passes, if tax money could fund religious organizations, religious institutions like his will actually lose some of their freedom.

This year, every proposed change to our state's Constitution placed on the ballot came from the state Legislature.

Experts and activists say that this is because getting an amendment on the ballot in Florida is harder than ever before for citizens, yet significantly easier for state lawmakers.

What Happened to Citizen-led Petitions?

Robin Rorapaugh of Hollywood is the president of a political consulting company that helps groups who want to get an issue on a ballot.