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Florida Constitution Revision Commission

PUB 700645: MULTI-MEMBER LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS by BRET SHAWN CLARK

ARTICLE III: LEGISLATURE, Section 21. Standards for establishing legislative district boundaries.

SECTION 21.Standards for establishing legislative district boundaries.

In establishing legislative district boundaries:

  1. No apportionment plan or district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent.; and dDistricts shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the political process or to diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice.; and districts shall consist of contiguous territory. Districts shall be drawn such that each district has an equivalent number of Electors residing within its boundaries and no less than the top three candidtaes receiving votes in a district shall be elected as a legislator.
  2. Senators and Representatives shall be elected from multi-member districts in a manner that reflects, as nearly as is possible, the composition of the electorate and the expressed will of the people. Districts and elections shall be designed such that there are no winner-take-all outcomes, in order to better ensure that the interests of populations in the minority are fairly represented in the Florida Legislature.Unless compliance with the standards in this subsection conflicts with the standards in subsection (a) or with federal law, districts shall be as nearly equal in population as is practicable; districts shall be compact; and districts shall, where feasible, utilize existing political and geographical boundaries.
  3. No public funds may be expended for any primary election or similar process to select a nominee of a political party to run as a candidate for election to the Florida Legislature.The order in which the standards within subsections (a) and (b) of this section are set forth shall not be read to establish any priority of one standard over the other within that subsection.