11 Ballot Questions Await Every Leon County Voter on Tuesday, From the State Rainy-Day Fund to City-County Consolidation
Beyond the candidates, Leon County's elections office says all of the county's voters share the same 11 ballot questions on November 3 - three Florida constitutional amendments, county charter changes, two school board tax questions and a nonbinding vote on consolidating city and county government.
The races get the attention, but the longest part of a Leon County ballot on Tuesday may be the questions at the end of it. The Leon County Supervisor of Elections says the November 3 general election ballot includes 11 ballot questions, and that all Leon County voters will have those same 11 items on their ballot, whatever precinct they vote in.
The first three are Florida constitutional amendments, which need 60 percent to pass. Amendment 1 would increase the amount of money the state may keep in its budget stabilization fund from 10 percent to 25 percent of general revenue collections, require an annual transfer toward that level unless certain conditions are met, and allow the Legislature to withdraw funds for critical state needs. Amendment 2 would exempt tangible personal property kept on agricultural land and used in producing agricultural products or agritourism from property taxation, starting with tax years beginning January 1, 2027. Amendment 3 is the property-tax amendment: an increased homestead exemption paired with a lower cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property.
The rest are local. County charter items ask voters to remove outdated statutory references and set new hearing and timing rules for future charter changes, to provide that county ordinances prevail over municipal ordinances, and to adopt community impact assessment and reporting language tied to historically underserved and vulnerable populations. The school board's two questions cover a property tax to increase teacher and staff pay and a proposed extension of the half-penny sales tax, according to the Tallahassee Democrat's guide to the local amendments; county charter and school questions pass on a simple majority, not 60 percent. The last item is advisory only: a nonbinding referendum asking whether Leon County should pursue a plan to consolidate the county and the City of Tallahassee into a single government - a result that, by its own wording, gauges sentiment and does not itself create a consolidated government. Early voting ends Sunday, and polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
