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Oklahoma Distribution Requirements for Initiative Petitions Amendment (2020)
| Oklahoma Distribution Requirements for Initiative Petitions Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Direct democracy measures | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Oklahoma Distribution Requirements for Initiative Petitions Amendment (HJR 1027) was not on the ballot in Oklahoma as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020.[1][2]
Measure design
The amendment would have created distribution requirements for veto referendums, initiated state statutes, and initiated constitutional amendments in Oklahoma.
As of 2020, the number of signatures required to qualify initiatives and veto referendums for the ballot was tied to the total votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election. For a signature petition to initiate a constitutional amendment, valid signatures needed to equal 15% of votes cast for governor—177,958 for the 2020 ballot. For initiated state statutes, the requirement was 8%—94,911 for the 2020 ballot—and for veto referendums, the requirement was 5%—59,320 for the 2020 ballot.[2]
The amendment would have required the percentage of valid signatures to be from each congressional district rather than from statewide. For example, if 1,000 people voted for governor in a district and the petition is for a constitutional amendment, the signatures of 150—15% of 1,000—qualified electors would have been required in that district.
Text of the measure
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article V, Oklahoma Constitution
The measure would have amended section 2 of Article V of the state constitution. The full text of the measure is here.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Oklahoma Constitution
To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a simple majority is required in both the Oklahoma State Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
This amendment was introduced as House Joint Resolution 1027 on February 3, 2020. On March 10, 2020, the state House passed HJR 1027 in a vote of 66-30, with four excused. Out of the 77 Republicans, 65 voted in favor of the amendment, eight voted against it, and four were excused. All but one Democrat voted against it. The Senate did not pass the measure before the legislature adjourned on May 29, 2020.[1]
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See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Oklahoma Oklahoma City (capital) |
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