ORLANDO, Fla. — Members of dozens of Central Florida community organizations traveled to Florida's Capitol early Wednesday to make their voices heard on a variety issues, including demanding more action regarding voting rights protections.

What You Need To Know

  • Community organizations across Central Florida headed to Tallahassee Wednesday for the 2025 Day at the Capitol event

  • Members of various organizations from all over the Sunshine State are expected to rally together to protect key issues, including voter rights

  • A key issue that voters and advocates are rallying against is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposed changes to the citizen-led amendment process

  • DeSantis has been open about wanting to enact more requirements for such amendments to get on the ballot

They will be joined by hundreds of other community advocates from all over the state to rally alongside Florida House Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis and state Sen. Tracie Davis.

A key issue the voting rights organization Equal Ground Florida members are concerned about pertains to potential changes to the citizen-led amendment process.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already proposed to put in place more requirements for those amendments to make it to election ballots, and the Equal Ground members oppose those restrictions. DeSantis also proposed eliminating the third-party collection of petition forms required to get an amendment on the ballot and to change how petitions can be collected.

DeSantis wants petitions to be submitted directly to a supervisor of elections office in person or through the mail instead.

The changes would also make it a third-degree felony for anyone to pay or get paid for signing or not signing an amendment petition.

Even though it was 4 a.m., Equal Ground member Ashley Moise said she was overjoyed to make her way to Tallahassee for the 2025 Day at the Capitol event. It was also her first time heading to the state capital, and she said she’s honored to meet with state legislators and be surrounded by like-minded voters and advocates.

“I feel like our voices need to be remembered a lot of the times. When it comes to Congress and state legislation, it gets lost in translation," Moise said. There’s a lot going on, a lot of bills going on, and so many things that are changing, and I want to be a part of that.” 

Moise said she is specifically focused on addressing laws that would target citizen-led amendments and create additional barriers for voters adding amendments to the ballot.

Voting-related laws in this year's Florida Legislature are sponsored by Davis and Bracy Davis.

Davis last year co-sponsored the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act with former Sen. Geraldine Thompson. Since Thompson’s passing in February, Davis took over sponsorship in the Senate this year with Senate Bill 1582, while Bracy Davis continues to carry this year's version of the bill in the House, HB 1409.

The Senate version would expand access to voting by allowing eligible Floridians to register to vote at any time — up to and including on election day. The goal of the FLVRA is to ensure all eligible voters, particularly those from marginalized communities, can fully participate in Florida’s political process.  

Justin Jones, one of the organizers of the 2025 Florida Day at the Capitol, also known as Equal Ground and Clergy Day at the Capitol, said that part of the responsibility that lies with being an engaged community is being educated on the legislative process.

“We all know that we elect people that represent our needs and interests, but a lot of times, we don’t hear or see them, so a part of being involved in the legislative process or in the civic engagement space is forming that relationship with your state senator or house rep," Jones said. "These are the individuals who we choose to represent us to be our voices at the state level.”