The bill amends Section 8 of Title 34 of the Oklahoma Statutes, which governs the initiative and referendum process. Key modifications include new requirements for signature collection, stipulating that no more than five percent of the total signatures for both initiative and referendum petitions can come from legal voters of a single county. Additionally, the bill establishes a timeline for the circulation of initiative petitions, mandating that the Secretary of State set a date for signature collection to begin within 15 to 30 days after all appeals and protests have been resolved. Proponents can withdraw their petitions before final submission, and the bill outlines the process for filing protests and objections related to the petitions.
Further changes involve updating statutory language and references, including the deletion of the phrase "state office receiving the highest number of votes cast" and its replacement with "Governor" in the context of determining the sufficiency of signatures. The bill also clarifies the responsibilities of the Secretary of State and the Supreme Court in overseeing the petition process, including the publication of notices and the handling of objections. The act is set to take effect on November 1, 2025.
Statutes affected: Introduced: