Filing a Prospective Petition
Petitioner: A prospective referendum petition can only be filed after the Board of County Commissioners adopts the legislation. The completed petition must be filed with the Multnomah County Elections Division for signature verification no later than the 90th day after the legislation’s adoption. If more than 90 days has passed, changes can be made by initiative petition.
- To determine the filing deadline: Day One is the first day after the legislation was adopted by the Board.
Petitioner: File a Statement of Organization with the State Elections Division.
Review the Campaign Finance and the ORESTAR User’s Statement of Organization Manuals.
Petition will not be approved for circulation until the Statement of Organization is filed. The deadline for filing may be earlier if contributions are received or expenditures made to support the referendum effort.
Petitioner: File prospective referendum petition with the Multnomah County Elections Division. The prospective petition must include:
- Prospective Petition - Local Initiative and Referendum form (SEL 370). One to three chief petitioners must be listed and all must be registered voters in Multnomah County.
- The text of the legislation enacted by the Board and, where applicable, the title, ordinance number, and charter or code section numbers proposed for referral. A referendum petition may be filed on an entire ordinance or specific sections only.
Elections Division: Has five business days to issue a written statement to chief petitioners determining whether the petition complies with Multnomah County Code and meets the single subject requirement and qualifies as “county legislation” under the Oregon Constitution.
Elections Division: If the Elections Director determines that the prospective petition complies with Multnomah County Code and procedural constitutional requirements, a petition number will be assigned and the Elections Director will promptly transmit two copies of the petition to the County Attorney.
- If the text does not meet requirements, the chief petitioners will be notified and the process concluded.
- Petitioner: Can challenge the Director’s decision through Multnomah County Circuit Court. The court petition must be filed by the 7th business day after the written notice of rejection.
Approval to Circulate Petition
Petitioner: Must file physical copies of the signature sheets as they are meant to be circulated with the Elections Division. Petitioners retain their own copies to use for circulation once petition is certified.
- Local Petition Cover Sheet (SEL 369). Must include the title and adoption date of the legislation enacted by the Board. The signature sheet must be printed on the reverse side of the cover sheet.
- If there is no title, the chief petitioners may supply one that includes the ordinance number, or code section numbers, and the date it was adopted.
- Circulator’s copy of the text of the legislation enacted by the Board. The text can be included on the SEL 369 form or provided as a separate document. Circulators must carry a copy of the text.
- Signature Sheet Local (SEL 371). The cover sheet must be printed on the reverse side.
- Optional: Electronic Signature Sheet Local (SEL 348). The cover sheet must be printed on the reverse side. Electronic sheets can be distributed electronically and without a circulator, but the original, physically signed form must be returned to a chief petitioner and filed with the other signature sheets.
Elections Division:
- Reviews the cover and signature sheet(s) for compliance with the requirements for prospective county referendum petitions.
- Reviews the text filed to ensure it reads exactly the same and is substantially similar in formatting to the text originally filed with the prospective petition.
- Verifies chief petitioners have filed a Statement of Organization via ORESTAR or by contacting the State Elections Division.
Elections Division: Notifies chief petitioners in writing either certifying the petition for circulation or providing instructions on changes that must be made and refiled for approval.
Petitioner: Circulation may only begin after the Elections Division certifies the petition in writing. Signatures may only be gathered through the 90th day after the Board adopted the legislation. The petition can be circulated at the same time the ballot title is being drafted.
- 14,642 qualified signatures required for a referendum petition.
Information about circulation requirements is available in the County, City, and District Initiative and Referendum Manual.
Ballot Title
County Attorney: Within 5 business days of receiving the petition from the Elections Director, drafts the ballot title and an explanatory statement for the voters’ pamphlet in compliance with state law. For a referendum, drafting generally occurs at the same time as signature gathering.
County Attorney: Provides copies of the prospective petition, ballot title, and explanatory statement to the Elections Division and to chief petitioners.
Elections Division: Publishes notice of ballot title receipt in the next edition of a newspaper of general circulation and on the Elections Division’s website. Notice includes information about the ballot title challenge process.
- Electors may challenge the ballot title and/or explanatory statement in Multnomah County Circuit Court within seven business days of the Elections Division receiving the ballot title from the County Attorney.
- Any person filing a challenge must file a copy of it with the Elections Division by the end of the next business day after the challenge is filed with the Circuit Court.
Elections Division: If no challenge is filed, or as soon as a challenge has been adjudicated, the Elections Director certifies the official ballot title to one of the chief petitioners.
Signature Verification and Certification
Petitioner: If the minimum number of required signatures is gathered, files the original, physical signature sheets and Petition Submission form (SEL 339) with the Elections Division by the deadline.
- Deadline: Signatures must be filed by the end of the business day on the 90th day after the legislation was adopted by the Board.
- Signature sheets must be signed and dated by their circulator and numbered and filed sequentially by a chief petitioner.
Elections Division: Must certify to the Board within 30 days of accepting the petition whether it contains the required number of qualified signatures to be referred as a ballot measure.
Random sampling may be used for signature verification.
Board of County Commissioners: If the petition has enough qualified signatures, the Board may either adopt proposed legislation by ordinance or call an election for the measure.
The measure must be on the ballot at the next election date available under state law that is at least 90 days after the Elections Director certifies the signatures.