Ballot Qualifications & Schedule
Date Initiative language can be submitted: Any time.
Signatures are tied to vote of which office: Governor
Next Gubernatorial election: 2010
Votes cast for governor in last election: 774,680
Net number of signatures required: For a constitutional amendment it is
10% of the total number of votes cast for Governor in the last
gubernatorial election (77,468). For a statute, it is 8% of the total number of
votes cast for Governor in the last gubernatorial election. (61,974)
Distribution Requirement: 5% in 15 of 75 counties for amendments and 4%
in 15 of 75 counties for statutes.
Circulation period: Unlimited
Do circulators have to be residents: No
Date when signatures are due for certification: 4 months prior to the next General Election
Signature verification process: The Secretary of State will verify signatures
up to 10% above the designated number. However, the Secretary of State
will not accept additional signatures if the petition is determined to be
sufficient after the initial submission even if the number is one signature
over the required number. Nor will the Secretary of State accept
additional signatures after the initial submission until a determination of
sufficiency is made. If a petition is determined not to contain the requisite
number of valid signatures, a sponsor may within 30 days of notification of
insufficiency from the Secretary of State do any or all of the following: A)
Solicit and obtain additional signatures; B) Submit proof that the rejected
signatures or some of them are good and should be counted; C) Make
the petition more definite or certain. The Secretary of State will set
designated times to accept the additional signatures from a notified
sponsor.
Single-subject restriction: No
Legislative tampering: Initiatives can be amended or repealed by a 2/3
vote of each house.
Excerpted from the Initiative & Referendum Almanac by M. Dane Waters.