The Florida Senate on Thursday unanimously passed legislation that would require political candidates to be registered members of the political party they seek to represent for at least one year prior to the qualifying period for a general election.

The measure would also require candidates running without party affiliation to have been registered with no party for the same 365-day period. Under the bill, a candidate who does not meet the requirement would be disqualified from appearing on the ballot if a circuit court determines noncompliance.

The bill establishes a private right of action allowing a political party or another candidate for the same office to challenge a candidate’s eligibility. The legislation specifies that an action may be brought for declaratory and injunctive relief, and a final judgment against a candidate would result in disqualification and ballot removal.

The proposal creates a new section in state law, formalizing the affiliation requirement as a substantive condition for qualification. It also amends existing candidate oath provisions to reflect the new standard, requiring candidates to affirm in writing that they meet the one-year party affiliation or non-affiliation threshold.

Current law requires candidates to state their party affiliation or lack thereof at the time of qualifying but does not impose a statutory enforcement mechanism.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration and if enacted, would take effect July 1.