Ballot measure petition deadlines and requirements, 2022

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Initiatives filed

In order to qualify an initiative or referendum for placement on a statewide ballot, supporters must collect enough valid signatures from voters. The required number of signatures and the dates by which they are due to state election officials vary by state.

Deadlines and requirements

The table below shows the signatures deadlines for each state that features a process for initiatives, veto referendums, or both. It also gives an explanation of the deadline since the significance of the dates can vary by state. For example, some deadlines are for signatures submission, while others are the deadline to complete verification. Finally, the chart shows the number of signatures required for initiated state statutes (CISS), indirect initiated state statutes (IndISS), veto referendums (VR), and initiated constitutional amendments (CICA).

Legend: Red padlock.png = Signifies a deadline that has passed. Some states have more than one deadline, with differing deadlines depending on the type of ballot measure or because there are multiple stages in the petition submission process.

Deadlines and Requirements for 2022
State Deadlines Explanation Signatures required
Alaska Ballotpedia:Calendar 01/18/2022 IndISS: 365 days after petitions prepared or before legislature convenes on January 18, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 36,140
VR: 36,140
Arizona Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/7/2022 CICA/CISS: July 7, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 237,645
VR: 118,823
CICA: 356,467
Arkansas Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/08/2022 CISS/CICA: July 8, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 71,321
VR: 53,491
CICA: 89,151
California Ballotpedia:Calendar 06/30/2022[1] CICA/CISS: 180 days after petitions are approved for circulation or June 30, 2022 (verification deadline). The Secretary of State suggests submitting signatures at least two months before the verification deadline.
VR: 90 days post-signature
CISS: 623,212
VR: 623,212
CICA: 997,139
Colorado Ballotpedia:Calendar 08/08/2022 CISS/CICA: August 8, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 124,632
VR: 124,632
CICA: 124,632
Florida Ballotpedia:Calendar 02/01/2022 CICA: February 1, 2022[2]
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: N/A
VR: N/A
CICA: 891,589
Idaho Ballotpedia:Calendar 05/01/2022 CISS: May 1, 2022 (Or 18 months after it was cleared for circulation, whichever is sooner)
VR: 60 days post-adjournment
CISS: 64,945
VR: 64,945
CICA: N/A
Illinois Ballotpedia:Calendar 05/08/2022 CICA: May 8, 2022 CICA: 363,813
Maine Ballotpedia:Calendar 01/30/2022 CISS: January 30, 2022 CISS: 63,067
VR: 63,067
Maryland Ballotpedia:Calendar 05/31/2022
Ballotpedia:Calendar 06/30/2022
VR Round 1: May 31, 2022
VR Round 2: June 30, 2022
CISS: N/A
VR: 69,135
CICA: N/A
Massachusetts Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/06/2022
Ballotpedia:Calendar 11/17/2021
Ballotpedia:Calendar 12/02/2020
Ballotpedia:Calendar 12/04/2019
IndISS: November 17, 2021
IndISS: July 6, 2022
CICA: Dec. 2, 2020; Dec. 4, 2019
VR: 90 days post-signature
Signatures must be submitted to local registrars of voters by two weeks before the first Wednesday in December. Local registrars of voters must submit certified signature petitions to the secretary of state by the first Wednesday in December.
CISS: 93,611
VR: 40,119 (53,492 to suspend law)
CICA: 80,239
Michigan Ballotpedia:Calendar 06/01/2022
Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/11/2022
CISS: June 1, 2022
CICA: July 11, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 340,047
VR: 212,529
CICA: 425,059
Mississippi Ballotpedia:Calendar 10/06/2021 CICA: October 6, 2021[3] CISS: N/A
VR: N/A
CICA: 106,190
Missouri Ballotpedia:Calendar 05/08/2022 (CICA/CISS): May 8, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 107,246 [4][5]
VR: 100,126[4][5]
CICA: 171,592[4][5]
Montana Ballotpedia:Calendar 06/17/2022
Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/15/2022
(CISS/CICA): June 17, 2022 (Counties); July 15, 2022 (Secretary of State)
VR: 6 months post-adjournment
CISS: 30,179
VR: 30,179
CICA: 60,359
Nebraska Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/07/2022 (CICA/CISS): July 7, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 88,787[6]
VR: 63,419[6][7]
CICA: 126,838 [6]
Nevada Ballotpedia:Calendar 06/29/2022
Ballotpedia:Calendar 11/18/2020
CICA/VR: June 29, 2022
IndISS: November 18, 2020
CISS: 97,598
VR: 135,561
CICA: 135,561
New Mexico Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/08/2022 VR: 90 days post-adjournment (final deadline: July 8, 2022) CISS: N/A
VR: 92,823 [8] or 232,058 [9]
CICA: N/A
North Dakota Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/11/2022 CISS/CICA: July 11, 2022; all petitions have unique deadline as well (1 year after cleared for circulation)
VR: 90 days post-signature
CISS: 15,582
VR: 15,582
CICA: 31,164
Ohio Ballotpedia:Calendar 12/24/2021
Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/06/2022
IndISS: December 24, 2021
CICA: July 6, 2022
VR: 90 days post-signature
CISS: 265,774
VR: 265,774
CICA: 442,958
Oklahoma Ballotpedia:Calendar 08/30/2022 CISS/CICA: 90 days max circulation[10]
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 94,911
VR: 59,320
CICA: 177,958
Oregon Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/08/2022
Ballotpedia:Calendar 06/09/2022
CISS/CICA: July 8, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
(2022 bills: June 9, 2022)
CISS: 112,020
VR: 74,680
CICA: 149,360
South Dakota Ballotpedia:Calendar 11/08/2021
Ballotpedia:Calendar 05/03/2022[11]
CICA: November 8, 2021
CISS: May 3, 2022[11]
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CICA: 33,921
CISS: 16,961
VR: 16,961
Utah Ballotpedia:Calendar 02/15/2022 CISS: February 15, 2022, or 316 days after the initiative petition was filed with the lieutenant governor, which ever comes first
VR: 40 days post-adjournment
CISS: 137,802
VR: 137,802
CICA: N/A
Washington Ballotpedia:Calendar 12/31/2021
Ballotpedia:Calendar 07/08/2022
ITL: 10 days before the 2022 legislative session
ITP: July 8, 2022
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
ITP/ITL: 324,516
VR: 162,258
CICA: N/A
Wyoming Ballotpedia:Calendar 2/14/2022 CISS: 18 months to circulate; petitions must be submitted before legislature convenes the legislative session of the target election year
VR: 90 days post-adjournment
CISS: 41,775
VR: 41,775
CICA: N/A
The Initiative and Referendum Almanac ad.png

Key terms

See also

Footnotes

  1. This is the verification deadline.
  2. Initiative signatures must be verified by February 1, 2022 and, thus, must be submitted to county officials long enough before that date to allow for the verification process. County supervisors of elections have a maximum of 30 days to verify signatures and submit them to the secretary of state, which means to guarantee that local officials verify and submit signatures, they should have been submitted by January 2, 2022.
  3. Once a sponsor receives a ballot title and summary, proponents have one year to circulate petitions and receive certification from the county circuit clerks. Petitions must be submitted to the secretary of state at least 90 days prior to the beginning of the regular session which begins in the first week of January (January 4, 2022). Signature petition sheets must be submitted to and certified by county officials prior to submission to the secretary of state. Petitioners are recommended to coordinate with county elections officials to determine when signatures must be submitted to county officials in order to meet the early October (of the preceding year) deadline for submission to the secretary of state.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 This signature requirement is the requirement if petitioners collect signatures in the smallest of the state's congressional districts to satisfy the state's distribution requirement. Collecting signatures in larger districts would result in a slightly larger signature requirement.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 This signature requirement is a projected estimate based on increased turnout in 2020. The official turnout within each of the eight congressional districts required to calculate the precise requirement was unavailable as of December 24, 2020.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 This requirement is based on the state's voter registration report released on December 1, 2020. Since the Nebraska signature requirement is based on the number of registered voters at the time of filing, the number required is variable.
  7. This was the signature requirement for a veto referendum petition that did not suspend the enactment of the targeted law until the election. To suspend the targeted law, approximately 126,838 signatures would have been required.
  8. Signatures required to put the targeted bill before voters without suspending the enactment of the law
  9. Signatures required to suspend the law until the election
  10. Initiatives can be circulated for a maximum of 90 days; with signatures being due by 5:00 p.m. local time on the 90th day. State elections officials in Oklahoma recommend filing a proposed initiative during the first months of the year preceding the targeted election year due to the two periods during which challenges may be filed against an initiative. For example, to qualify an initiative for the November 2022 ballot, Oklahoma elections officials recommend filing the initiative proposal in the early months of 2021. For a measure to appear on the ballot, signatures must be submitted long enough in advance for the governor to issue an election proclamation, which must be issued and certified to the State Election Board at least 70 days prior to an election.
  11. 11.0 11.1 This deadline was set by a court ruling in August 2021 that overturned the deadline of one year before the election for initiated state statutes. Click here to read more about the ruling.