Florida Officials Probe Marijuana Referendum Petitions in Broward

State investigators examine allegations of forged signatures and voter fraud in petition drive

Jan. 27, 2026 at 6:55pm

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The DeSantis administration has dispatched state election crimes investigators, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the state Attorney General's Office to investigate marijuana-referendum petitions processed by the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office. Officials have raised concerns about the verification of signatures on petitions seeking to get a statewide marijuana legalization referendum on the ballot this year.

Why it matters

The investigation into the marijuana referendum petitions in Broward County comes as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has vocally opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state. The probe could potentially impact the ability of the petition drive to get the issue on the 2026 ballot, which would require 880,062 verified signatures by the February 1 deadline.

The details

State officials, including Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Statewide Prosecutor Bradley R. McVay, have raised concerns about potential forged signatures and voter fraud in the petition drive led by the organization Smart & Safe Florida. Investigators are examining whether petition circulators employed by Smart & Safe Florida submitted fraudulent petitions to the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office, which has already verified around 70,000 petitions and rejected 45,000 others.

  • On January 27, 2026, state election crimes investigators, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the state Attorney General's Office arrived at the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office to investigate the marijuana referendum petitions.
  • The investigation is ongoing as the February 1, 2026 deadline approaches for the petition drive to submit 880,062 verified signatures to get the issue on the 2026 ballot.

The players

Ron DeSantis

The Republican Governor of Florida who has vocally opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state.

Cord Byrd

The Florida Secretary of State, a DeSantis appointee, who has raised concerns about the verification of signatures on the marijuana referendum petitions.

Bradley R. McVay

The Florida Statewide Prosecutor who is investigating whether the petition drive organization Smart & Safe Florida violated any criminal laws by submitting fraudulent petitions.

Joe Scott

The Broward County Supervisor of Elections, a Democrat, whose office has been processing the marijuana referendum petitions.

Smart & Safe Florida

The organization leading the drive to get the marijuana legalization referendum on the 2026 ballot in Florida.

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What they’re saying

“We have reason to believe that a number of these petitions contain forged signatures or are otherwise fraudulent in nature, likely containing stolen voter personal identifiable information. Given the volume — potentially hundreds of Florida victims — my office intends to act fast.”

— Bradley R. McVay, Florida Statewide Prosecutor

“It is just incredibly frivolous and petty. And that's how it starts and goes on from there. When you get to his paragraph saying we were generally disorganized, some of it is inaccurate, some of it is unfair. … We don't understand where he's coming from. It's just totally unfair criticisms.”

— Joe Scott, Broward County Supervisor of Elections

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Smart & Safe Florida petition circulators who are under criminal investigation to continue collecting signatures for the marijuana referendum.

The takeaway

This investigation highlights the ongoing political battle over marijuana legalization in Florida, with the DeSantis administration taking aggressive steps to scrutinize the petition process and potentially block the referendum from appearing on the 2026 ballot. The outcome could have significant implications for the future of cannabis policy in the state.