State Balloting Process
Proponents must file their petition with the Secretary of
State for approval before they can circulate. The request for approval
must be presented over the names and signatures of twenty-five or more
electors as sponsors, one of whom must be designated as chairman of the
sponsoring committee. The Secretary of State will approve the petition for
circulation if it is in proper form and contains the names and addresses of
the sponsors and the full text of the measure.
Additionally, upon receipt of the petition, the Secretary of State will
draft a short and concise statement which must fairly represent the
measure. The statement must be submitted to the Attorney General for
approval or disapproval. An approved statement must be affixed to the
petition before it is circulated for signatures, must me called the “ballot
title”, and must be placed immediately before the full text of the measure.
The Secretary of State and the Attorney General must complete their
review of the petition in not less than five, nor more than seven, business
days.
Excerpted from the Initiative & Referendum Almanac by M. Dane Waters.
Click here to view a copy of the state constitution.