Signature ligature: Petition process needs some surgery
With no extra money available to spend this session, legislators would be wise to work on legislation that makes a difference but doesn’t make a dent in the treasury. State Sen. Randy Brogdon is doing that with efforts to reform the initiative petition process in Oklahoma.
Brogdon, R-Owasso, has offered legislation that would reduce the number of signatures needed to send a proposal to a vote of the people, lengthen the amount of time allowed to collect signatures, and in general make the process a bit more user friendly for petitioners.
The petition business made news last week when Attorney General Drew Edmondson announced he had dropped felony charges that had been filed against three out-of-state petition gatherers. Edmondson also has ended any further appeals of a federal court ruling that declared unconstitutional Oklahoma’s law requiring petitioners to be residents.
Our biggest concern with the process has centered on the number of signatures required, which varies depending on the purpose of the initiative but is always a big number…(Read More)