General Information: Signature Sheet Requirements (ORS 249.031, 249.061 and 249.064)

All signature sheets must be approved in writing by the Elections Division before circulating. Failure to do so will result in the rejection of those signature sheets.

Signature Sheet Requirements

Each signature sheet must include all of the following:

candidate’s name, office for which the candidate is running, political party affiliation, if applicable, and district or position number
statement that active registered voters have same
political party affiliation as candidate
statement one or more/no petition circulators will be paid
statement that signers on any one signature sheet must be active registered voters from the same county
area for placing the petition identification number
statement that signers must initial any changes that the circulator makes to their printed name, residence or mailing address or date they signed the petition
area for placing the signature sheet number
petition circulator’s certification stating that the circulator witnessed the signing of the signature sheet by each individual whose signature appears on the signature sheet, and the circulator believes each
individual is an elector qualified to sign the petition and that any compensation received was not based on the number of signatures obtained
area for providing date when circulator signed certification
area for placing the county elections official’s certification
and
ten signature lines unless a variation is approved by the Elections Division
Each signature line must include fields for:
signature
date of signing petition
printed name
residence or mailing address
precinct number

Signers are required to provide signature and residence or mailing address. However, an elector’s printed name, date they signed the petition and precinct number are not mandatory under Oregon law. These information fields, while optional for the signer, provide valuable assistance to county elections officials who perform the signature verification. If these optional fields are not completed, the signatures may still be submitted for signature verification. If the county elections official can determine from the signature alone that the elector was an active registered voter at the time the elector signed the petition, that signature will count toward the total signature requirement for the petition. If no date is provided by the elector, the signature is considered valid only if the county elections official determines that the elector was an active registered voter during the period beginning the date the petition was approved for circulation through the date the petition is filed for signature verification.

Warning
Circulators are advised to encourage signers to complete the optional information whenever possible. Failure to provide the optional information increases the possibility that the signature cannot be confirmed to be that of an active registered voter, and thus reduces the chances of the petition having adequate verifiable signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Signature Sheet Format

Candidate signature sheets must meet the following formatting requirements:

standard 8 ½ “ x 11” size paper
at least 20 pound (weight) uncoated paper
and
printed on white or pastel colored paper stock to render text readable and enable election officials to readily verify signatures

Size and style of type must be deemed readable and approved in writing by the Elections Division.

Warning
Logos, slogans, advertisements, party affiliation, etc. or any symbol or language, which may be construed as advocacy is not permitted on any cover or signature sheet. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in rejection of those sheets and disqualification of those signatures.

Warning
Any proposed variation to an approved signature sheet must be resubmitted and approved in writing by the Elections Division before circulating. Failure to do so will result in the rejection of those signature sheets.

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