The circulator of any part-petition, the committee interested in the petition, or any elector may file with the board of elections a protest against the board’s findings made pursuant to section 3519.15 of the Revised Code. Protests shall be in writing and shall specify reasons for the protest. Protests for all initiative and referendum petitions other than those to be voted on by electors throughout the entire state shall be filed not later than four p.m. of the seventy-fourth day before the day of the election. Once a protest is filed, the board shall proceed to establish the sufficiency or insufficiency of the signatures and of the verification of those signatures in an action before the court of common pleas in the county. The action shall be brought within three days after the protest is filed, and it shall be heard forthwith by a judge of that court, whose decision shall be certified to the board. The signatures that are adjudged sufficient or the part-petitions that are adjudged properly verified shall be included with the others by the board, and those found insufficient and all those part-petitions that are adjudged not properly verified shall not be included.
The properly verified part-petitions, together with the report of the board, shall be returned to the secretary of state not less than sixty days before the election, provided that, in the case of an initiated law to be presented to the general assembly, the boards shall promptly check and return the petitions together with their report. The secretary of state shall notify the chairperson of the committee in charge of the circulation as to the sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition and the extent of the insufficiency.
If the petition is found insufficient because of an insufficient number of valid signatures, the committee shall be allowed ten additional days after the notification by the secretary of state for the filing of additional signatures to the petition. The part-petitions of the supplementary petition that appear to the secretary of state to be properly verified, upon their receipt by the secretary of state, shall forthwith be forwarded to the boards of the several counties together with the part-petitions of the original petition that have been properly verified. They shall be immediately examined and passed upon as to the validity and sufficiency of the signatures on them by each of the boards and returned within five days to the secretary of state with the report of each board. No signature on a supplementary part-petition that is the same as a signature on an original part-petition shall be counted. The number of signatures in both the original and supplementary petitions, properly verified, shall be used by the secretary of state in determining the total number of signatures to the petition that the secretary of state shall record and announce. If they are sufficient, the amendment, proposed law, or law shall be placed on the ballot as required by law. If the petition is found insufficient, the secretary of state shall notify the committee in charge of the circulation of the petition.
Amended by 128th General Assembly File No. 29, HB 48, § 1, eff. 7/2/2010.
The circulator of any part-petition, the committee interested in the petition, or any elector may file with the board of elections a protest against the board’s findings made pursuant to section 3519.15 of the Revised Code. Protests shall be in writing and shall specify reasons for the protest. Protests for all initiative and referendum petitions other than those to be voted on by electors throughout the entire state shall be filed not later than four p.m. of the seventy-fourth day before the day of the election. Once a protest is filed, the board shall proceed to establish the sufficiency or insufficiency of the signatures and of the verification of those signatures in an action before the court of common pleas in the county. The action shall be brought within three days after the protest is filed, and it shall be heard forthwith by a judge of that court, whose decision shall be certified to the board. The signatures that are adjudged sufficient or the part-petitions that are adjudged properly verified shall be included with the others by the board, and those found insufficient and all those part-petitions that are adjudged not properly verified shall not be included.
The properly verified part-petitions, together with the report of the board, shall be returned to the secretary of state not less than sixty days before the election, provided that, in the case of an initiated law to be presented to the general assembly, the boards shall promptly check and return the petitions together with their report. The secretary of state shall notify the chairperson of the committee in charge of the circulation as to the sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition and the extent of the insufficiency.
If the petition is found insufficient because of an insufficient number of valid signatures, the committee shall be allowed ten additional days after the notification by the secretary of state for the filing of additional signatures to the petition. The part-petitions of the supplementary petition that appear to the secretary of state to be properly verified, upon their receipt by the secretary of state, shall forthwith be forwarded to the boards of the several counties together with the part-petitions of the original petition that have been properly verified. They shall be immediately examined and passed upon as to the validity and sufficiency of the signatures on them by each of the boards and returned within five days to the secretary of state with the report of each board. No signature on a supplementary part-petition that is the same as a signature on an original part-petition shall be counted. The number of signatures in both the original and supplementary petitions, properly verified, shall be used by the secretary of state in determining the total number of signatures to the petition that the secretary of state shall record and announce. If they are sufficient, the amendment, proposed law, or law shall be placed on the ballot as required by law. If the petition is found insufficient, the secretary of state shall notify the committee in charge of the circulation of the petition.
Amended by 128th General Assembly File No. 29, HB 48, § 1, eff. 7/2/2010.
The circulator of any part-petition, the committee interested in the petition, or any elector may file with the board of elections a protest against the board’s findings made pursuant to section 3519.15 of the Revised Code. Protests shall be in writing and shall specify reasons for the protest. Protests for all initiative and referendum petitions other than those to be voted on by electors throughout the entire state shall be filed not later than four p.m. of the seventy-fourth day before the day of the election. Once a protest is filed, the board shall proceed to establish the sufficiency or insufficiency of the signatures and of the verification of those signatures in an action before the court of common pleas in the county. The action shall be brought within three days after the protest is filed, and it shall be heard forthwith by a judge of that court, whose decision shall be certified to the board. The signatures that are adjudged sufficient or the part-petitions that are adjudged properly verified shall be included with the others by the board, and those found insufficient and all those part-petitions that are adjudged not properly verified shall not be included.
The properly verified part-petitions, together with the report of the board, shall be returned to the secretary of state not less than sixty days before the election, provided that, in the case of an initiated law to be presented to the general assembly, the boards shall promptly check and return the petitions together with their report. The secretary of state shall notify the chairperson of the committee in charge of the circulation as to the sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition and the extent of the insufficiency.
If the petition is found insufficient because of an insufficient number of valid signatures, the committee shall be allowed ten additional days after the notification by the secretary of state for the filing of additional signatures to the petition. The part-petitions of the supplementary petition that appear to the secretary of state to be properly verified, upon their receipt by the secretary of state, shall forthwith be forwarded to the boards of the several counties together with the part-petitions of the original petition that have been properly verified. They shall be immediately examined and passed upon as to the validity and sufficiency of the signatures on them by each of the boards and returned within five days to the secretary of state with the report of each board. No signature on a supplementary part-petition that is the same as a signature on an original part-petition shall be counted. The number of signatures in both the original and supplementary petitions, properly verified, shall be used by the secretary of state in determining the total number of signatures to the petition that the secretary of state shall record and announce. If they are sufficient, the amendment, proposed law, or law shall be placed on the ballot as required by law. If the petition is found insufficient, the secretary of state shall notify the committee in charge of the circulation of the petition.
Amended by 128th General Assembly File No. 29, HB 48, § 1, eff. 7/2/2010.
