Ballot Qualifications & Schedule
Date Initiative language can be submitted: Any time
Signatures are tied to vote of which office: Governor
Next Gubernatorial election: 2011
Votes cast for governor in last election: 744,039
Net number of signatures required: 12% of the total number of votes cast
for governor in the last gubernatorial general election (89,284 signatures.)
Distribution Requirement: 20% from each of the five congressional districts.
Thus, at least 17,857 signatures must be gathered from each of the five
congressional districts. If less than 17,857 certified signatures are submitted
from ANY of the five congressional districts, the entire petition will be
invalid.
Circulation period: 1 year
Do circulators have to be residents: Yes
Date when signatures are due for certification: At least 90 days prior to the
convening of the legislature to which it will be submitted. A petition filed
after the 90th day cannot be submitted to the next legislative session.
Signature verification process: County Circuit Clerks verify every signature.
Single-subject restriction: No
Legislative tampering: Constitutional amendments by initiative become
part of the constitution and are thus only alterable by the legislature
through regular constitutional procedures, any changes of which must be
approved by popular vote.
Excerpted from the Initiative & Referendum Almanac by M. Dane Waters.