I attended a Lunch and Learn on Friday, November 17th “Floridians Protecting Freedom-the Final Push.” https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1tWpMAMIPMe6IxSfy-ua1S5UEWDv6Y_Pi As most members know, LWVFL is supporting Floridians Protecting Freedom http://Floridiansprotectingfreedom.com in gathering petitions to put an amendment on the 2024 ballot that would protect a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion up until viability. Based on the information shared at the webinar, the campaign is not where it should be. To be placed on the ballot, there must be approximately 890,000 validated petitions, and at this time only 60% of the needed amount has been validated.
The campaign is in desperate need of two things:
- More signatures from registered Florida voters. Although 890,000 validated signatures are needed, the campaign has a goal of one million, since many petitions are rejected for technical errors.
- Funds: National donors have not supplied the Florida campaign with sufficient funds to continue to employ paid petition gatherers, who are essential to the effort.
What can you do? Download the petition at https://floridiansprotectingfreedom.com/petition/ Print it, fill it out, and send it to the address on the form. If you are mailing multiples, place no more than five per envelope. It is imperative that you fill out the petition correctly. The instructions are very simple, but cross-outs, incorrect color ink, abbreviations, etc, will cause a petition to be rejected. Instructions are posted on the site. Petitions should be signed and mailed by December 15, 2023, but will be accepted until December 31, 2023. Please mail petitions within one week of signature.
You can donate to the campaign at https://floridiansprotectingfreedom.com/donate/
Remember, any day now, the Supreme Court could hand down a decision that will put the six-week abortion ban into effect immediately! We cannot go back!
