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Opponents say Amendment 3 will hurt Black voters
Those who support the amendment say it would make it tougher for those to the very left or very right to get elected.
TAMPA, Fla. - Florida voters narrowly rejected a proposal that would have overhauled the state’s primary-election system.
About 57% of voters supported Amendment 3, which would have eliminated Florida’s closed primary elections in state races.
However, a constitutional amendment needs to reach a 60% threshold for approval.
ELECTION RESULTS: Florida constitutional amendments
Amendment Three would open primaries to all voters, even the 26% not registered as Democrat or Republican.
The top two vote-getters would go to the general election, meaning it could be Republican versus Republican, or Democrat versus Democrat.
Currently, only members of a given political party can vote for a candidate from that party
In all, six amendments were on the ballot in Florida this year.
FLORIDA AMENDMENTS EXPLAINED:
- Florida Amendment 1: Voter registration language
- Florida Amendment 2: Minimum wage hike
- Florida Amendment 3: Eliminating parties from primaries
- Florida Amendment 4: Amendment ratification changes
- Florida Amendment 5: Property tax benefit extension
- Florida Amendment 6: Transferring veterans’ tax breaks
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.