Bill Putting Guardrails on Initiative Petition Process Advances to Governor

Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, today secured final passage of legislation to protect the integrity of Oklahoma’s initiative petition process while adding safeguards that ensure state question campaigns are transparent and have support from residents across the state. 

The Senate passed Senate Bill 1027, which establishes new requirements for signature gathering for initiative petitions to ensure broader geographic representation across the state. The bill establishes limits on the number of signatures collected in any one county based on the number of votes cast in the most recent general election for governor.

For a statutory petition, the number of signatures collected in a single county cannot exceed 11.5% of the votes cast in the gubernatorial election. For a constitutional amendment, the number of signatures collected in a county cannot exceed 20.8% of the votes cast in the last governor’s race.

“Oklahoma’s Constitution and laws should be shaped by all residents, not just those in our largest cities and the out-of-state liberal activists who are trying to turn our state into California,” Bullard said. “This bill puts long-overdue guardrails on the state’s initiative petition process to promote fairness, increase transparency and ensure rural voices aren’t shut out and silenced. I appreciate Speaker Hilbert for partnering with me on this important bill, and I look forward to the governor signing it into law.”

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, was the primary House author of SB 1027.

“For too long, rural Oklahomans have been left out of deciding what state questions appear on the ballot. That ends now,” Hilbert said. “This critical legislation improves the integrity of the initiative petition process by empowering voters from all parts of the state to stay engaged every step of the way.”

SB 1027 also implements key transparency reforms. These include: 

• Requiring a petition’s gist to be written in clear, straightforward language that also makes clear whether the measure will have a fiscal impact.
• Directing the Secretary of State to establish a process that would allow residents to remove their signatures from petitions.
• Requiring petition signature gatherers to be registered to vote in Oklahoma.
• Prohibiting out-of-state entities from paying local signature gatherers.
• Requiring paid signature gatherers to disclose the individual or organization that’s paying them.

If signed by the governor, this legislation would take effect immediately.