DeLand, FL - The deadline for petition initiatives to get on the November 2020 ballot is a little more than three months away on February 1, 2020. A petition to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour is closing in on the number of signatures needed.
Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis says "Raising Florida's Minimum Wage" stands at 766,037 signatures just a bit short of the 766,200 signatures needed to be placed on the ballot. The full text of that petition from the state elections office website reads as follows: " Raises minimum wage to $10.00 per hour effective September 30th, 2021. Each September 30th thereafter, minimum wage shall increase by $1.00 per hour until the minimum wage reaches $15.00 per hour on September 30th, 2026. From that point forward, future minimum wage increases shall revert to being adjusted annually for inflation starting September 30th, 2027. "
Lewis said there is also a petition that would change state primaries. "All Voters Vote in Primary Elections for State Legislature, Governor, and Cabinet" wants to change the eligibility to vote in a primary election to include every registered voter, no matter their party affiliation. The current number of valid signatures stands at 751,177. Lewis said she believes this petition will make it to next years' ballot.
This school year, Lewis took the Elections Office on the road to all ten Volusia County high schools in an effort to get teens that will be eligible to vote next year registered. She says more than 12-hundred students will be able to vote in next year's election
Lewis also wants to remind everyone about an election that might not be on their radar. That's the "Presidential Preference Primary" which is scheduled for March 17, 2020. The final day to register for that election is February 17. You can register or update your information by clicking here.
You can find everything you need to know about voting in Volusia County by clicking here.
