D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 3, § 1006
1006.1 When an initiative or referendum petition is offered for filing, the Board shall count the petition pages and issue a receipt for the total number of petition pages submitted; and thereafter shall serially number the pages and obliterate any blank lines appearing on each petition page.1006.2 Upon submission of a referendum petition for filing, and after a count of the signatures on the petition sheets establishes that the petition, on its face, contains the required number of signatures citywide, the Board shall also notify the appropriate custodian of the act, as required by D.C. Code §§ 1-204.102(b) and 1-1001.16(m) (2006 Repl.), to request its return to the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia.1006.3 The Board shall refuse to accept any initiative or referendum petition or individual petition sheets for filing for the following reasons:- (a) The petition sheet(s) is (are) not in the form certified by the Board in accordance with the provisions of this chapter;
- (b) The period for circulation and submission for filing has expired;
- (c) The petition on its face does not contain the signatures of registered voters equal in number to five percent (5%) of the registered qualified electors of the District of Columbia or the total signatures submitted did not include five percent (5%) of the registered qualified electors in each of five (5) or more of the eight (8) election wards;
- (d) The affidavits of the circulators do not appear on the petition sheets; or
- (e) The petition sheet(s) were circulated by persons who were not residents of the District of Columbia and at least eighteen (18) years of age.1006.4 In the event of a refusal for filing, the Board shall endorse on each petition sheet the words 'submitted but not accepted' and the date and retain the petition pending appeal.1006.5 The proposer(s) of a rejected initiative or referendum petition may, pursuant to D.C. Code § 1-1001.(l) (2006 Repl.), petition the Superior Court of the District of Columbia within ten (10) days after the refusal for a writ in the nature of mandamus to compel the Board to accept the petition.1006.6 The signatures submitted in support of a rejected initiative or referendum petition shall not be resubmitted for filing in order to qualify the measure for an election ballot.
SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 43 D.C. Reg. 103, 110-11 (January 12, 1996); and further amended by Final Rulemaking published at 47 D.C. Reg. 6977 (August 27, 1999).