Oklahoma § 34-3 - Petitions and signatures

§ 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:

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 34. Initiative and Referendum

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.

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.