SB 62 Florida Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Candidate Qualification

Summary

Candidate Qualification; Specifying that a person seeking to qualify for office as a candidate must be a registered member of a political party, or registered without any party affiliation, for 365 consecutive days preceding the beginning of qualifying for an election; authorizing qualified candidates or certain political parties to challenge compliance with specified provisions by filing suit in a specified circuit court; prohibiting a person from being qualified as a candidate for nomination or election and appearing on the ballot under specified circumstances, etc.

Bill status in committee 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Jan 2026

Senate Passage

Jan 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Feb 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S 62 Filed → S 62 c1 · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated from an original filed version to a committee substitute, changing the effective date from July 1, 2026, to 'upon becoming a law.' The authorship was also updated to include the Committee on Ethics and Elections alongside the original sponsor. These changes reflect the bill's progression through the legislative committee review process.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged as the substantive text regarding candidate qualifications was not altered.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the act was changed from a fixed date of July 1, 2026, to 'upon becoming a law,' meaning it will start immediately after being signed into legislation.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated from 'Original Filed Version' to 'Committee Substitute 1,' and the authorship was expanded to include the Committee on Ethics and Elections and additional Senators.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 27, 2026

How they voted

21–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 24

Jan 27, 2026

D Democratic5

4 Yea 1

80% Yea

I Independent1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican18

16 Yea 2

88% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 27, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (21-0-3)

senate

Jan 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by- Rules; YEAS 21 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Rules, 01/27/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

upper

Dec 2, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Judiciary; YEAS 10 NAYS 0

upper

Nov 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Judiciary, 12/02/25, 1:00 pm, 110 Senate Building

upper

Nov 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Nov 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Ethics and Elections, 11/19/25, 2:00 pm, 37 Senate Building

upper

Oct 6, 2025

Committee

Referred to Ethics and Elections; Judiciary; Rules

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors