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Laws governing local ballot measures in Pennsylvania

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Laws Governing Local Ballot Measures
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This page describes the state constitutional provisions and statutes that govern local ballot measures in Pennsylvania. Jurisdictions often establish additional rules within the parameters of state law; those can be found in local ordinances and home-rule charters.

Explore the links below for more information:

Law

The Pennsylvania Constitution and Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes establish the rules that govern local ballot measures in the state.

General

The following outlines the general rules that govern local ballot measures in Pennsylvania, including both citizen-initiated measures and referred measures from local government bodies.

  • Vote requirements: Local ballot measures require a simple majority for approval.[1]
  • Required ballot measures: Pennsylvania law requires voter approval for several categories of ballot measures, including:
    • Home rule adoption, amendments, or repeal[2]
    • Certain local taxes
    • Liquor local option questions[3]
    • Changes to form of municipal government[2]
    • Municipal borrowing debt questions that exceed statutory limits[2]
  • Election timing: Local ballot questions appear on the next primary or general election ballot after certification.[1]

Initiatives

The following outlines additional rules that govern local citizen-initiated ballot measures in Pennsylvania.

  • Authority: The Pennsylvania Constitution does not provide for a local citizen initiative process, however, the Home Rule Charter provides for a citizen initiative process for charter amendments. Citizens can also initiate a government study commission question. [4]
  • Signatures:
    • For initiated charter amendments, the signature requirement is equal to 10% of voters that voted in the last gubernatorial election in that jurisdiction.[4]
    • For government study commission questions, the signature requirement is equal to 5% of voters that voted in the last gubernatorial election in that jurisdiction.[4]
  • Deadlines:
    • Charter amendments must be filed at least 60 days before the election.[4]

Referrals

The following outlines additional rules that govern local referred ballot measures in Pennsylvania.

  • Authority: Local governments may refer the following questions to the ballot:
    • Charter amendments[4]
    • County government restructuring or optional plans[4]
    • Municipal general obligation bonds[5]
    • School district bond measures[5]
    • Municipal consolidation or boundary changes[6]
  • Deadlines: All ballot questions must be certified to county election officials at least 13 weeks prior to the election.[1]

Laws governing local ballot measures in the U.S.

Laws governing local ballot measures in the United States

As state laws govern ballot measures, the rules are different from state to state. Click on a state below to explore that state's laws on local ballot measures.

http://ballotpedia.org/Laws_governing_local_ballot_measures_in_STATE

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pennsylvania General Assembly, "Pennsylvania Election Code," accessed December 5, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pennsylvania General Assembly, "Title 53," accessed December 5, 2025
  3. ↑ Pennsylvania General Assembly, "Title 47," accessed December 5, 2025
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Pennsylvania General Assembly, "Title 53, Chapter 29," accessed December 5, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pennsylvania General Assembly, "Title 53, Chapter 80," accessed December 5, 2025
  6. ↑ Pennsylvania General Assembly, "Title 53, Chapter 7," accessed December 5, 2025
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