County Referendum Petition Process:
Verification of Signatures (ORS 250.215 and OAR 165-014-0110)
After receiving the signature sheets from the chief petitioners, the county elections official begins the process of signature verification to determine if the referendum contains enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
County Elections Official
The county elections official processes signature sheets submitted for verification for each referendum by:
- comparing the submitted cover and signature sheets to the approved versions
- verifying that each signature sheet is signed and dated by the circulator
- verifying that each signature sheet has the approvedcover sheet copied on the back
- and
- verifying the original signature using the voter registration card
If the petition requires more than 4,500 signatures the county elections official must use a statistical sampling process to determine if the petition contains a sufficient number of signatures to qualify to the ballot. See OAR 165-014-0110.
Deadline to Verify Signatures
Signature verification must be completed no later than the 15th calendar day after signatures are submitted for verification.