Florida Acknowledgement of God Pledge in Schools Initiative (2022)

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# Florida Acknowledgement of God Pledge in Schools Initiative (2022)

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Florida Acknowledgement of God Pledge in Schools Initiative

Election date
November 8, 2022
Topic
Religion and Education
Status
Cleared for signature gathering
Type
Constitutional amendment| Origin
Citizens

* * *

The Florida Acknowledgement of God Pledge in Schools Initiative (Initiative #18-15) may appear on the ballot in Florida as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 8, 2022.[1][2]

## Contents

* 1 Measure design
* 2 Text of measure
* 2.1 Ballot title
* 2.2 Ballot summary
* 2.3 Constitutional changes
* 3 Sponsors
* 4 Path to the ballot
* 4.1 The state process
* 4.2 Details about the initiative
* 5 See also
* 6 External links
* 7 Footnotes

## Measure design

The measure would allow for and establish what it calls a Pledge of Acknowledgement to be recited daily in public schools. The measure states that the purpose of the pledge is to "educate and remind elementary, middle, and high school students (K–12th grade) about the role of divine providence of Almighty God in America’s founding, and to encourage greater respect for the government of the United States."[1]

Under the measure, the Pledge of Acknowledgement would be recited in any circumstances in which the Pledge of Allegiance is recited, such as during sporting events, assemblies, and graduations.[1]

The language of the pledge would be as follows:[1]

“  | Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence on You, and we ask Your blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country.[3] | ”

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The measure states that the pledge should be presented from a historical perspective in a way that is non-proselytizing. Under the measure, a student could be excused from reciting the Pledge of Acknowledgement if a parent submits a written request.[1]

## Text of measure

### Ballot title

The proposed title is as follows:[2]

“  | Classroom Acknowledgement Amendment[3] | ”

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### Ballot summary

The proposed ballot summary is as follows:[2]

“  | This amendment allows the citizens of Florida to establish a historical expression known as the Pledge of Acknowledgement. It consists of twenty-two words that formally recognize the role of Almighty God and divine providence in America’s founding as a nation.[3] | ”

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### Constitutional changes

See also: Article VI, Florida Constitution

The measure would add a new section to Article IX of the Florida Constitution. The following underlined text would be added:[2][1]

Note: Use your mouse to scroll over the below text to see the full text.

Article IX - Section 8 - Pledge of Acknowledgement

(a) PURPOSE. The purpose of the Pledge of Acknowledgment is to educate and remind elementary, middle, and high school students (K – 12th grade) about the role of divine providence of Almighty God in America’s founding, and to encourage greater respect for the government of the United States. The Pledge of Acknowledgment is a historical utterance or expression exactly as the Pledge of Allegiance is a patriotic utterance or expression. It is to be presented only from a historical perspective and in a nonproselytizing manner.

(b) LANGUAGE. The Pledge of Acknowledgement consists exclusively of the following twenty-two words. “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence on You, and we ask Your blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country.” The term “Almighty God” in the Pledge of Acknowledgement is a reference to the same Almighty God as listed in the preamble to the Florida State Constitution and is synonymous with the term “Creator” in the United States Declaration of Independence.

(c) PROVISIONS. The Pledge of Acknowledgement shall be recited at the beginning of the school day in each public elementary, middle, and high school (K – 12th grade) in the state. When it is recited, students, faculty and administration shall stand at attention, men removing any headdress, except when such headdress is worn for religious purposes.

The Pledge of Acknowledgement will also be recited at any other school function where the Pledge of Allegiance is recited, and/or the National Anthem is played or sung. This includes but is not limited to athletic contests, graduations, assemblies, etc.

Each student shall be informed by a written notice published in the student handbook or a similar publication, pursuant to state laws, that the student has the right not to participate in reciting the Pledge of Acknowledgement. Upon written request by his or her parent/guardian, the student must be excused from reciting the Pledge of Acknowledgement, including standing. When the Pledge of Acknowledgment is given, unexcused students must show full respect by standing at attention, men removing their headdress, except when such headdress is worn for religious purposes, as provided by Florida statute.

All public schools in the state are encouraged to coordinate, at all grade levels, instruction related to our nation’s founding and the Founding Fathers acknowledgment of a “firm reliance on the protection of divine providence from Almighty God” as expressed in America’s Declaration of Independence. It is to be presented only from a historical perspective and in a non-proselytizing manner.[3]

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## Sponsors

Pledge of Acknowledgement is leading the campaign in support of the initiative.[2]

## Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Florida

### The state process

In Florida, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8% of the votes cast in the preceding presidential election. Florida also has a signature distribution requirement, which requires that signatures equaling at least 8% of the district-wide vote in the last presidential election be collected from at least half (14) of the state's 27 congressional districts. Signatures remain valid until February 1 of an even-numbered year.[4] Signatures must be verified by February 1 of the general election year the initiative aims to appear on the ballot.

Proposed measures are reviewed by the state attorney general and state supreme court after proponents collect 25% of the required signatures across the state in each of one-half of the state's congressional districts (222,898 signatures for 2022 ballot measures). After these preliminary signatures have been collected, the secretary of state must submit the proposal to the Florida Attorney General and the Financial Impact Estimating Conference (FIEC). The attorney general is required to petition the Florida Supreme Court for an advisory opinion on the measure's compliance with the single-subject rule, the appropriateness of the title and summary, and whether or not the measure "is facially valid under the United States Constitution."[5]

The requirements to get an initiative certified for the 2022 ballot:

* Signatures: 891,589 valid signatures are required.
* Deadline: The deadline for signature verification is February 1, 2022. As election officials have 30 days to check signatures, petitions should be submitted at least one month before the verification deadline.

In Florida, proponents of an initiative file signatures with local elections supervisors, who are responsible for verifying signatures. Supervisors are permitted to use random sampling if the process can estimate the number of valid signatures with 99.5% accuracy. Enough signatures are considered valid if the random sample estimates that at least 115% of the required number of signatures are valid.

### Details about the initiative

* The initiative was approved for circulation on December 12, 2018.[2]

## See also

2022 measures

* 2022 ballot measures
* Religion on the ballot
* Education on the ballot
* 2022 legislative sessions

Florida

* Florida ballot measures
* Florida ballot measure laws

News and analysis

* Ballot measure lawsuits
* Ballot measure readability
* Ballot measure polls

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## External links

* Initiative 18-15 information
* Initiative 18-15 full text

## Footnotes

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Florida Department of Elections, "Initiative 18-15 text," accessed November 15, 2018
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Florida Division of Elections, "Initiative 18-15 Information," accessed December 12, 2018
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content
4. ↑ Before the passage of Florida Senate Bill 1794 of 2020, signatures remained valid for a period of two years
5. ↑ Florida State Senate, "Florida Senate Bill 1794," accessed April 13, 2020

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