POLISCOPE
Back to feed
Part ofelections →
SB 460FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026dead

Proposed Changes to Florida Special Election Procedures

Original title: Special Elections

March 13, 2026

electionsgovernment administrationvacanciesgovernor powersjudicial oversightelectors and elections

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

The bill aimed to prevent prolonged vacancies in elected offices by mandating strict timelines for the Governor and providing a legal pathway for residents to petition courts to force the scheduling of an election.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Qualified electors

Residents in a district with a vacancy gain the right to petition a court to set election dates if the Governor fails to act.

Governor

The Governor is required to follow stricter timelines and mandatory consultation processes when calling special elections.

Supervisors of Elections

They must be consulted by the Governor and have the authority to certify if a special election timeline creates an undue hardship.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 13, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill would have updated the rules for filling vacant elective offices, requiring the Governor to set special election dates within 14 days of a vacancy and allowing courts to intervene if those deadlines are missed. It also established new requirements for coordinating special elections with existing election schedules to ensure timely representation.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if the Governor does not set a date for a special election?
Under this bill, a qualified elector in the affected district could file a petition in circuit court to have the court determine and set the election dates.
Can a special election be delayed beyond 126 days?
Yes, if the local Supervisor of Elections certifies that holding the election within the standard timeframe would conflict with other scheduled elections and cause an undue administrative hardship, the deadline can be extended to 175 days.
Do candidates need as many signatures to qualify for a special election?
No, candidates by petition for a special primary or special election would only need to obtain 25% of the signatures required for a standard election.

Why It Matters

The bill aimed to prevent prolonged vacancies in elected offices by mandating strict timelines for the Governor and providing a legal pathway for residents to petition courts to force the scheduling of an election.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededupper2/10/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

11

Yes

11

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededupper2/4/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

8

Yes

8

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Judicial Intervention in Election Scheduling

The bill introduces a mechanism for circuit courts to set election dates, shifting power away from the exclusive discretion of the Governor.

GovernorCircuit Court

Connected Entities

otherSecretary of StateMap →
otherCircuit CourtMap →
otherSupervisor of ElectionsMap →
otherDepartment of StateMap →
otherGovernorMap →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz10
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record