ORLANDO, Fla. – Amendment 1 is on the ballot for Florida voters on Nov. 5, and it could change how school board elections are conducted in the state.
Currently, Florida school board candidates run without party affiliation. However, the proposed amendment would allow candidates, starting in November 2026, to declare party affiliations as either Democrats or Republicans.
To pass, the amendment must get the approval of 60% of Florida voters.
Here’s what you need to know.
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Ballot language
BALLOT SUMMARY
From the Florida Division of Elections website:
Proposing amendments to the State Constitution to require members of a district school board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election and to specify that the amendment only applies to elections held on or after the November 2026 general election. However, partisan primary elections may occur before the 2026 general election for purposes of nominating political party candidates to that office for placement on the 2026 general election ballot.
The amendment makes changes to Article IX of the Florida Constitution and creates a new amendment to Article XII. You can read those proposed changes HERE.
Breaking it down
This amendment was put on the ballot by the Florida Legislature in 2023 with the passage of HJR 31. It was sponsored by several Central Florida Republicans, and it passed on party lines.
Supporters argue that the change would bring transparency to school board elections.
According to legislative staff analysis for HJR 31, Florida once held partisan school board elections, but voters overturned that system in 1998 with the approval of Amendment 11. Since then, Florida has been one of 41 states where school board candidates do not run with party affiliations.
In recent years, political debates over issues like book bans and policies for transgender students have led some to push for a return to partisan elections.
Currently, all voters, regardless of party affiliation, vote on all of the school board candidates qualified for their district in the August elections. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters move onto a runoff election in November.
If this amendment passes, it would mean that school board candidates would be decided much the same way partisan elections are decided for Congress or the Florida Legislature. If there are multiple candidates from one political party, there would need to be a party primary in November. Since Florida is a closed primary state, that means only voters registered with that political party would be able to choose a candidate.
The winners of any political primaries would move on to the November election, where all voters would be able to choose from the final candidates.
The amendment does not exclude no-party-affiliate candidates from running. All candidates would have to list their registered party affiliation on the ballot. Also, under Florida law, a candidate for political office must register under the same party affiliation they have held for 365 days before the candidate qualifying period. That means if you have been a registered Democrat for a year, and you decide to run for office, you can’t suddenly run for office as an NPA candidate. You must run for office as a Democrat.
The nonpartisan group The League of Women Voters opposes the amendment, stating that it would exclude non-party-affiliated candidates from primaries and arguing that “schools should not be politicized.”
Bottom line
A “YES” vote on Amendment 1 means you are in favor of changing school board races from non-partisan elections to partisan ones.
A “NO” vote on Amendment 1 means you want to leave school board races non-partisan.