1002

1002.1

The Board shall prepare and provide to the proposer at a public meeting an original petition form which shall contain the following:

1. (a) Numbered lines designed so that each signer may personally affix the date signed and their signature, printed name, residence address (giving street and number) and election ward;
2. (b) A statement requesting that the Board hold an election on the initiative or referendum measure contained in the petition, stating the measure's serial number and short title;
3. (c) The text of the official summary and short title of the measure printed on the front of the petition sheet;
4. (d) A warning statement declaring that only duly registered qualified electors of the District of Columbia may sign the petition;
5. (e) Instructions advising signatories of the proper method of signing the petition as follows: EVERY PETITIONER MUST SIGN THEIR OWN NAME. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS ANY PERSON PERMITTED TO SIGN ANOTHER PERSON'S NAME OR SIGN MORE THAN ONCE. PRINT YOUR NAME AND RESIDENCE ADDRESS IN FULL;
6. (f) The words 'PAID FOR BY' followed by the name and address of the payer or the committee or other person, and its treasurer on whose behalf the material appears, in the right hand corner of the front page; and
7. (g) A circulator's affidavit, providing space for the circulator of a petition to record their name and address and the dates between which the signatures on the sheet were obtained. By signing the affidavit, the circulator swears under oath or affirms that:
8. (1) They are a qualified petition circulator;
9. (2) They were in the presence of each person who signed the petition at the time the petition was signed;
10. (3) According to the best information available to the circulator, each signature is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be.

1002.2 No petition sheets may be circulated prior to the Board's provision of the original petition form.

1002.3 A proposer shall be permitted to choose a paper and/or electronic petition form. Unless specified, the laws and rules concerning the circulation of petitions, including, but not limited to, the qualifications of circulators, the validity of signatures, and challenges to petitions, shall apply regardless of the format of the petition.

1002.4 If the proposer chooses a paper petition form, the proposer shall reproduce the petition form at their own expense. Each reproduced petition sheet shall be printed in its entirety on paper of good writing quality of the same size as the original petition form prepared by the Board and shall be double-sided.

1002.5 Each circulator circulating an electronic petition shall register their device in-person at the Board's office. The circulator shall provide a unique and valid email address for account registration and device authentication. No circulator shall have a registered account for electronic petition circulation unless their device has been authenticated.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 43 DCR 103 (January 12, 1996); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 61 DCR 625 (January 24, 2014); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 65 DCR 5644 (May 18, 2018); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 68 DCR 6164 (June 11, 2021); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 69 DCR 001132 (February 11, 2022).