§ 34-3 — Petitions and signatures.

A. Each initiative petition and each referendum petition shall be duplicated for the securing of signatures. The Secretary of State shall design a form, subject to change, for signatures that shall be used by proponents of initiatives or referendums when collecting signatures, and each sheet for signatures shall be attached to a copy of the petition. Each copy of the petition and sheets for signatures is hereinafter termed a pamphlet. On the outer page of each pamphlet shall be printed the word “Warning”, and underneath this in ten-point type the words, “It is a felony for anyone to sign an initiative or referendum petition with any name other than his or her own, or knowingly to sign his or her name more than once for the measure, or to sign such petition when he or she is not a legal voter of this state.” A statement of the gist of the proposition shall be printed on the top margin of each signature sheet and shall: 1. Explain in basic words, which can be easily found in dictionaries of general usage, the effect of the proposition; 2. Not contain any words which have a special meaning for a particular profession or trade not commonly known to the citizens of this state; 3. Not contain euphemisms, words, or phrases regarded in popular parlance as code words, or an apparent attempt to deceive voters; 4. Not reflect partiality in its composition or contain any argument for or against the measure; and 5. Indicate whether a proposed measure will have a fiscal impact on the state and if so, the potential source of funding including, but not limited to, federal funding or legislative appropriation which may require imposition of a new tax, increase of an existing tax, or elimination of existing services. B. A statement shall be printed under the gist of the proposition that provides notice that a copy of the petition and all signatures on such petition are public records subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act. C. The Secretary of State shall affirm that any gist conforms with the requirements of this section. The Secretary may remove any gist that violates the requirements of this section and direct the proponents of the petition to submit a gist that complies with all the requirements of this section.

Legislative History

R.L. 1910, § 3370. Amended by Laws 1961, p. 264, § 3, emerg. eff. May 17, 1961; Laws 1985, c. 288, § 1, emerg. eff. July 23, 1985; Laws 1992, c. 92, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1992; Laws 2020, c. 125, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 2020; Laws 2025, c. 275, § 1, emerg. eff. May 23, 2025.