Florida legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Florida S62: Candidate Qualification
Status: Passed one chamber, February 26, 2026
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.
What the bill says
An act relating to candidate qualification; amending s. 99.021, F.S.; 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; providing that compliance with specified requirements is mandatory; providing construction; authorizing qualified candidates or certain political parties to challenge compliance with specified provisions by filing suit in a specified circuit court…
From the introduced text, November 20, 2025:
A bill to be entitled An act relating to candidate qualification; amending s. 99.021, F.S.; 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; providing that compliance with specified requirements is mandatory; providing construction; 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; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1.âParagraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of section 99.021, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph (f) is added to that subsection, to read: 99.021âForm of candidate oath.â (1) (b)âIn addition, any person seeking to qualify for nomination as a candidate of any political party shall, at the time of subscribing to the oath or affirmation, state in writing: 1.âThe party of which the person is a member. 2.âThat the person has been a registered member of the political party for which he or she is seeking nomination as a candidate for at least 365 consecutive days preceding …