Idaho
You have a statutory Initiative & Referendum process. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Unfortunately, voters do not yet enjoy any process for passing a constitutional amendment by Initiative.
Poll
See the results of a poll on support for statewide initiative & referendum here.
Grade: C
Click here to view Idaho’s individual report in Of the People, By the People, For the People: A 2010 Report Card on Statewide Voter Initiative Rights.
Citizen State Coordinator
For more information about how to get involved in protecting and expanding Idaho’s initiative process, contact the Citizens in Charge Foundation Idaho Citizen State Coordinator:
Tom Munds
State Balloting Process
How you can change Idaho’s government through ballot initiatives
History
In 1911, swept up in the reformist spirit of the times, the Idaho
legislature approved an I&R amendment to the state constitution, which
was approved by voters the following year… Read More
Ballot Qualifications & Schedule
Date Initiative language can be submitted: No deadline
Signatures are tied to vote of which office: Number of registered voters at
the last general election.
Next general election: 2010
Registered voters at last general election: 745,627
Net number of signatures required: 6% of registered voters at the last
general election (51,712)
Distribution Requirement: No
Circulation period: 18 Months
Do circulators have to be residents: Yes
Date when signatures are filed for certification: The proponents upon
receipt of ballot titles and approved form have an 18-month circulation
period or until April 30 in an election year whichever occurs earlier.
Signature verification process: Petitions are turned into the county clerks of
the counties in which the petitions are circulated. The county clerks verify
every signature.
Single-subject restriction: No
Legislative tampering: The legislature can both repeal an initiative (by
court ruling.
Excerpted from the Initiative & Referendum Almanac by M. Dane Waters.