The Florida State University Election Law Center is hereby created at the Florida State University College of Law.
(1)(a) For purposes of this section, the term “election law” shall be construed broadly to include, but not be limited to, issues related to: 1. Voting rights. 2. Election administration. 3. Election emergencies. 4. Election integrity. 5. Voter registration and voter registration databases. 6. Cyber or other technical issues relating to elections. 7. Federal, state, and local legal provisions governing the electoral process. 8. Election contests for any federal, state, or local office. 9. Matters relating to the Electoral College or the casting, counting, or validity of electoral votes. 10. Federal and state campaign finance law. 11. Election audits. 12. Apportionment and redistricting. 13. Doctrines relating to justiciability, civil procedure, and remedies which may arise in election-related cases. (b) Election law includes the historical, empirical, and comparative aspects of the topics specified in paragraph (a), as well as philosophical and theoretical issues relating to democracy, democratic theory, and republicanism more broadly.
(2) The goals of the center are to: (a) Conduct and promote rigorous, objective, nonpartisan, evidence-based research concerning important constitutional, statutory, and regulatory issues relating to election law. (b) Plan and host events to allow students, scholars, legislators, judges, election administrators, attorneys, and members of the public to learn about the electoral process and election law. (c) Develop and sponsor publicly accessible materials and resources concerning elections and election law. (d) Assist students in learning about, gaining practical experience with, and pursuing career opportunities relating to election law. (e) Enhance the Florida State University College of Law’s reputation as a nationally respected source for cutting-edge legal scholarship and technical legal expertise. (f) Serve as a credible, objective, nonpartisan resource to address election law inquiries from federal, state, and local election officials and the Legislature and legislative staff; bolster understanding of the electoral process; and promote public confidence in Florida’s electoral system. (g) Develop objective, evidence-based analysis, best practices, and potential reforms to statutes, regulations, and other policies governing elections to: 1. Enable electoral systems to deal more effectively with natural disasters and other emergencies that can impede or undermine an election; 2. Bolster public confidence in the electoral process; 3. Ensure that United States citizens who meet this state’s voter qualification requirements have a reasonable, adequate, and safe opportunity to exercise their right to vote; and 4. Minimize the possibility of mistake, fraud, violations, accidents, or other irregularities impacting elections.
(3) The center may do all of the following: (a) Hire necessary faculty and staff and develop and teach courses relating to election law. (b) Hold events, including workshops, symposiums, roundtables, interviews, public discussions, lectures, and conferences. (c) Conduct, aid, and sponsor research relating to election law, to publish or otherwise make publicly available articles, reports, analyses, databases, or websites relating to election law issues. (d) Provide training and continuing education for the federal and state judiciaries and judicial organizations, attorneys, Department of State personnel, supervisors of elections and their employees, and other election administrators. (e) Provide formal or informal assistance to the Legislature, as well as to governmental entities or officials at the federal, state, or county levels, concerning elections or election law, including, but not limited to, research, reports, public comments, testimony, or briefs. (f) Provide scholarships and research assistantships to outstanding students interested in election law and sponsor fellowships to pay for qualified students to work with the center or at any local, state, or federal office or nonpartisan entity that deals with election law. (g) Partner with other centers, programs, institutes, and associations, as appropriate, to promote the center’s goals.
(4) The Department of State, supervisors of elections, the State Library, and the State Archives may cooperate and share with the center electronic copies of information or data in their possession, custody, or control upon request of the center’s faculty director to further the goals of the center, provided that the center and its employees are subject to, and store such information or data consistent with, confidentiality and security requirements comparable to those that apply to the department, supervisors of elections, and their employees.
(5) The center shall be funded through appropriations as provided in the General Appropriations Act, charitable donations and grants, and other university funds.
(6) The dean of the Florida State University College of Law shall appoint a faculty director to lead the center. The faculty director must be a tenured member of the faculty of the law school. The faculty director shall hire an executive director to conduct the center’s day-to-day operations. The faculty director, in consultation with the executive director, shall do all of the following: (a) Establish programs that promote the center’s goals. (b) Develop the budget and disburse the funds appropriated, donated, or provided to the center. (c) Hire employees for the center. (d) Oversee the center’s research, education, and training programs, events, and work product.
(7) The center’s research, work, activities, filings, speakers, events, and operations shall be subject to academic freedom protections. The center or any of its full-time faculty or staff may not be compelled to conduct, consult on, or otherwise assist any research or initiatives by any outside federal, state, or local official or agency or private person or entity. The center shall seek to promote intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity as defined in s. 1001.706(13)(a)1.