(1) Any group of citizens organized for the general purposes of electing to office qualified persons and determining public issues under the democratic processes of the United States may become a minor political party of this state by filing with the department a certificate showing the name of the organization, the names and addresses of its current officers, including the members of its executive committee, accompanied by a completed uniform statewide voter registration application as specified in s. 97.052 for each of its current officers and members of its executive committee which reflect their affiliation with the proposed minor political party, and a copy of its constitution, bylaws, and rules and regulations.

(2) Each elector registered to vote in the minor political party in which he or she has so designated has a fundamental right to fully and meaningfully participate in the business and affairs of the minor political party without any monetary encumbrance. The constitution, bylaws, rules, regulations, or other equivalent documents must reflect this fundamental right and must provide for and contain reasonable provisions that, at a minimum, prescribe procedures to: prescribe its membership; conduct its meetings according to generally accepted parliamentary practices; timely notify its members as to the time, date, and place of all of its meetings; timely publish notice on its public and functioning website as to the time, date, and place of all of its meetings; elect its officers; remove its officers; make party nominations when required by law; conduct campaigns for party nominees; raise and expend party funds; select delegates to its national convention, if applicable; select presidential electors, if applicable; and alter or amend all of its governing documents.

(3) The members of the executive committee must elect a chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer, all of whom shall be members of the minor political party, and no member may hold more than one office, except that one person may hold the offices of secretary and treasurer.

(4) Upon approval of the minor political party’s filing, the department shall process the voter registration applications submitted by the minor political party’s officers and members of its executive committee. It shall be the duty of the minor political party to notify the department of any changes in the filing certificate within 5 days after such changes.

(5) The Division of Elections shall adopt rules to prescribe the manner in which political parties, including minor political parties, may have their filings with the Department of State canceled. Such rules shall, at a minimum, provide for:

(a) Notice, which must contain the facts and conduct that warrant the intended action, including, but not limited to, the failure to have any voters registered in the party, the failure to notify the department of replacement officers, the failure to file campaign finance reports, the failure to adopt and file with the department all governing documents containing the provisions specified in subsection (2), and limited activity.

(b) Adequate opportunity to respond.

(c) Appeal of the decision to the Florida Elections Commission. Such appeals are exempt from the confidentiality provisions of s. 106.25.

(6) The requirements of this section are retroactive for any minor political party registered with the department on July 1, 2011, and must be complied with within 180 days after the department provides notice to the minor political party of the requirements contained in this section. Failure of the minor political party to comply with the requirements within 180 days after receipt of the notice shall automatically result in the cancellation of the minor political party’s registration.

History.—s. 46, ch. 2011-40.