{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-34-34-8v1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 34, § 34-8v1","heading":"Filing copy of proposed petition and ballot title -","body":"Publication - Protest - Hearing and determination – Deadlines.\n\nA. When a citizen or citizens desire to circulate a petition\n\ninitiating a proposition of any nature, whether to become a statute\n\nlaw or an amendment to the Constitution, or for the purpose of\n\ninvoking a referendum upon legislative enactments, such citizen or\n\ncitizens shall, when such petition is prepared, and before the same\n\nis circulated or signed by electors, file a true and exact copy of\n\nsame in the office of the Secretary of State and shall at the same\n\ntime file a separate ballot title, which shall not be part of or\n\nprinted on the petition. The Secretary may charge a filing fee not\n\nto exceed Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00) to cover the cost of\n\npublication of notice as required by subsection B of this section.\n\nB. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to cause to\n\nbe published on the website of the Office of the Secretary of State\n\nand in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the state, a\n\nnotice of such filing and the apparent sufficiency or insufficiency\n\nof the petition and shall include notice that any citizen or\n\ncitizens of the state may file a protest as to the constitutionality\n\nof the petition, by a written notice to the Supreme Court and to the\n\nproponent or proponents filing the petition. Notice of such filing\n\nshall be provided to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the\n\nSpeaker of the House of Representatives. Any such protest must be\n\nfiled within twenty (20) business days after publication. A copy of\n\nthe protest shall be filed with the Secretary of State.\n\nC. Upon the filing of a protest to the petition, the Supreme\n\nCourt shall then fix a day, not less than ten (10) business days\n\nthereafter, at which time it will hear testimony and arguments for\n\nand against the sufficiency of such petition.\n\nD. A protest filed by anyone hereunder may, if abandoned by the\n\nparty filing same, be revived within five (5) business days by any\n\nother citizen. After such hearing the Supreme Court shall decide\n\nwhether such petition is in the form required by the statutes. If\n\nthe Court is at the time adjourned, the Chief Justice shall\n\nimmediately convene the same for such hearing. No objection to the\n\nsufficiency shall be considered unless it has been made and filed as\n\nherein provided.\n\nE. Signature-gathering Deadline for Initiative Petitions. When\n\nan initiative petition has been filed in the office of the Secretary\n\nof State and all appeals, protests and rehearings have been resolved\n\nor the period for such has expired, the Secretary of State shall set\n\nthe date for circulation of signatures for the petition to begin but\n\nin no event shall the date be less than fifteen (15) days nor more\n\nthan thirty (30) days from the date when all appeals, protests and\n\nrehearings have been resolved or have expired. Notification shall\n\nbe sent to the proponents specifying the date on which circulation\n\nof the petition shall begin and that the signatures are due within\n\nninety (90) days of the date set. Each elector shall sign his or\n\nher name and legibly print his or her name, birth date and address\n\nassociated with his or her Oklahoma voter registration record. Any\n\npetition not filed in accordance with this provision shall not be\n\nconsidered. The proponents of an initiative petition, any time\n\nbefore the final submission of signatures, may withdraw the\n\ninitiative petition upon written notification to the Secretary of\n\nState.\n\nF. Signature-gathering Deadline for Referendum Petitions. All\n\nsigned signatures supporting a referendum petition shall be filed\n\nwith the Secretary of State not later than ninety (90) days after\n\nthe adjournment of the legislative session in which the measure,\n\nwhich is the subject of the referendum petition, was enacted.\ninitiative petition upon written notification to the Secretary of\n\nState.\n\nF. Signature-gathering Deadline for Referendum Petitions. All\n\nsigned signatures supporting a referendum petition shall be filed\n\nwith the Secretary of State not later than ninety (90) days after\n\nthe adjournment of the legislative session in which the measure,\n\nwhich is the subject of the referendum petition, was enacted.\n\nG. The proponents of a referendum or an initiative petition may\n\nterminate the circulation period any time during the ninety-day\n\ncirculation period by certifying to the Secretary of State that:\n\n1. All signed petitions have already been filed with the\n\nSecretary of State;\n\n2. No more petitions are in circulation; and\n\n3. The proponents will not circulate any more petitions.\n\nIf the Secretary of State receives such a certification from the\n\nproponents, the Secretary of State shall begin the counting and\n\nreview process.\n\nH. When the signed copies of a petition pamphlet are timely\n\nfiled, the Secretary of State shall file a copy of the proponent’s\n\nballot title with the Attorney General and after conducting a count\n\nand review of the filed, signed petition pamphlets, the Secretary of\n\nState shall certify to the Supreme Court of the state:\n\n1. The total number of signatures counted pursuant to\n\nprocedures set forth in this title; and\n\n2. The total number of votes cast for the state office\n\nreceiving the highest number of votes cast at the last general\n\nelection.\n\nThe Supreme Court shall make the determination of the numerical\n\nsufficiency or insufficiency of the signatures counted and reviewed\n\nby the Secretary of State.\n\nI. Upon order of the Supreme Court it shall be the duty of the\n\nSecretary of State to forthwith cause to be published, in at least\n\none newspaper of general circulation in the state, a notice of the\n\nfiling of the signed petitions and the apparent sufficiency or\n\ninsufficiency thereof, and shall also publish the text of the ballot\n\ntitle as reviewed and approved or, if applicable, as rewritten by\n\nthe Attorney General pursuant to the provisions of subsection D of\n\nSection 9 of this title and notice that any citizen or citizens of\n\nthe state may file an objection to the count made by the Secretary\n\nof State, by a written notice to the Supreme Court and to the\n\nproponent or proponents filing the petition. Any such objection\n\nmust be filed within twenty (20) business days after publication and\n\nmust relate only to the validity or number of the signatures or a\n\nchallenge to the ballot title. A copy of the objection to the count\n\nor ballot title shall be filed with the Supreme Court, the Attorney\n\nGeneral and the Secretary of State.\n\nJ. Upon appeal and if ordered or directed by the Supreme Court,\n\nthe Secretary of State shall deliver the bound volumes of signatures\n\nto the Supreme Court.\n\nK. Upon the filing of an objection to the signature count or\n\nballot title, the Supreme Court shall resolve the objection with\n\ndispatch. The Supreme Court shall adopt rules to govern proceedings\n\nto apply to the challenge of a measure on the grounds that the\n\nproponents failed to gather sufficient signatures.\n\nL. If in the opinion of the Supreme Court, any objection to the\n\ncount or protest to the petition is frivolous, the Court may impose\n\nappropriate sanctions including an award of costs and attorney fees\n\nto either party as the Court deems equitable.\n\nM. Whenever reference is made in this act to the Supreme Court,\n\nsuch reference shall include the members of the Supreme Court or any\n\nofficer constitutionally designated to perform the duties herein\n\nprescribed.\n\nR.L. 1910, § 3375. Amended by Laws 1910-11, c. 107, p. 235, § 1,\n\nemerg. eff. March 18, 1911; Laws 1961, p. 265, § 5, emerg. eff. May\n\n17, 1961; Laws 1970, c. 185, § 2, emerg. eff. April 13, 1970; Laws\n\n1973, c. 78, § 1, emerg. eff. April 30, 1973; Laws 1992, c. 92, § 7,\ninclude the members of the Supreme Court or any\n\nofficer constitutionally designated to perform the duties herein\n\nprescribed.\n\nR.L. 1910, § 3375. Amended by Laws 1910-11, c. 107, p. 235, § 1,\n\nemerg. eff. March 18, 1911; Laws 1961, p. 265, § 5, emerg. eff. May\n\n17, 1961; Laws 1970, c. 185, § 2, emerg. eff. April 13, 1970; Laws\n\n1973, c. 78, § 1, emerg. eff. April 30, 1973; Laws 1992, c. 92, § 7,\n\neff. Sept. 1, 1992; Laws 2009, c. 318, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2009; Laws\n\n2015, c. 193, § 4, emerg. eff. April 28, 2015; Laws 2020, c. 125, §\n\n8, eff. Nov. 1, 2020; Laws 2024, c. 119, § 3, emerg. eff. April 23,\n\n2024.","path":["OK Code","Title 34"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os34.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"fb411a5264f34d3a8cbccd18f8eefe117d25b3adc97aa2c09e3a7df93bcb6f9c","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-34-34-8","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-34-34-8v2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}