Ballot Qualifications & Schedule
Date Initiative language can be submitted to the state: Any time.
Signatures are tied to vote of which office: Number of votes cast in the
general election prior to when the application was filed.
Next General election: 2010
Number of votes cast in last general election: 327,341 (2008)
Net number of signatures required: 10% of the number of votes cast in the
last general election. (32,734)
Distribution Requirement: One signature in 2/3 of state house districts.
Circulation period: Proponents have one year from the day they were
notified that petition booklets were available for distribution to gather
signatures and submit the petition to the Division of Elections.
Do circulators have to be residents: Yes
Date when signatures are due for certification: Signatures must be
submitted prior to the convening of the legislative session in the year in
which the initiative is to appear on the ballot.
Signature verification process: Signatures are turned into the Division of Elections who verify each signature until the minimum number needed is
met.
Single-subject restriction: Yes
Legislative tampering: The legislature can repeal an initiative only after
two years of it passing; but the legislature may amend the initiative
anytime.
Excerpted from the Initiative & Referendum Almanac by M. Dane Waters.