Florida Contribution Limits for Ballot Initiatives Ruled Unconstitutional

A federal judge struck down a Florida law limiting contributions to people or political committees championing ballot initiatives, ruling it violates the First Amendment. U.S. District Court Judge Allen Winsor issued a permanent injunction against the law that limited such donations to $3,000. The Florida Elections Commission had argued the law limited the potential for fraud and corruption. “But those concerns don’t legally justify the restriction at issue,” Winsor said. “For one, the FEC shows no clear connection between large individual contributions and fraud… But the FEC offers no reason to think that large individual contributions — as opposed to large aggregate contributions — are to blame for this dynamic.”