Statement from Sean Shaw, Chairman of the Fair Elections For Democracy Amendments

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – Following Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s decision to not appeal the federal court ruling against the new Florida law limiting contributions to political committees sponsoring ballot initiatives, Sean Shaw, Chairman of the Fair Elections For Democracy amendments, has issued the following statement:

“Governor DeSantis knew Senate Bill 1890 was unconstitutional when he signed it into law, as did Attorney General Moody when she proceeded to defend it in federal court. Their actions are just another example of Florida's state leadership wasting taxpayer dollars to defend laws they know violate the constitution. I am pleased that they have declined to appeal Judge Winsor's injunction against SB 1890 and am proud to have been a part of the legal effort to defend Floridians' right to direct democracy.

As the Chair of the Fair Elections For Democracy amendments, I knew that qualifying for 2022 would be a challenge. We will rely on a grassroots network of individuals and organizations to help us qualify for the ballot, and that takes time. Unfortunately, the threat of this law's implementation created confusion for initiative sponsors and supporters — perhaps that was the state's objective all along.

I am grateful for the outpouring of support our campaign has received from volunteers across the state and the significant financial commitments we have received. We are committed to delivering a voting system that works for all Floridians, but we want to ensure we have the time, resources, and widespread support in order to do so. For all of these reasons, our team is focused on the 2024 ballot to qualify the Fair Elections for Democracy amendments.”

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