§ 20A-7-503. Form of initiative petitions and signature sheets. (Effective 5/13/2014)

(1)

(a) Each proposed initiative petition shall be printed in substantially the following form:
     "INITIATIVE PETITION To the Honorable ____, County Clerk/City Recorder/Town Clerk:
     We, the undersigned citizens of Utah, respectfully demand that the following proposed law be submitted to: the legislative body for its approval or rejection at its next meeting; and the legal voters of the county/city/town, if the legislative body rejects the proposed law or takes no action on it.
     Each signer says:
     I have personally signed this petition;
     I am registered to vote in Utah or intend to become registered to vote in Utah before the certification of the petition names by the county clerk; and
     My residence and post office address are written correctly after my name."

(b) The sponsors of an initiative shall attach a copy of the proposed law to each initiative petition.

(2) Each signature sheet shall:

(a) be printed on sheets of paper 8-1/2 inches long and 11 inches wide;

(b) be ruled with a horizontal line three-fourths inch from the top, with the space above that line blank for the purpose of binding;

(c) contain the title of the initiative printed below the horizontal line;

(d) contain the initial fiscal impact estimate's summary statement issued by the budget officer according to Subsection 20A-7-502.5(2)(b) and the cost estimate for printing and distributing information related to the initiative petition according to Subsection 20A-7-502.5(3) printed or typed in not less than 12-point, bold type, at the top of each signature sheet under the title of the initiative;

(e) contain the word "Warning" printed or typed at the top of each signature sheet under the initial fiscal impact estimate's summary statement;

(f) contain, to the right of the word "Warning," the following statement printed or typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
     "It is a class A misdemeanor for anyone to sign any initiative petition with any other name than his own, or knowingly to sign his name more than once for the same measure, or to sign an initiative petition when he knows he is not a registered voter and knows that he does not intend to become registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the county clerk.";

(g) contain horizontally ruled lines three-eighths inch apart under the "Warning" statement required by this section;

(h) be vertically divided into columns as follows:

(i) the first column shall appear at the extreme left of the sheet, be five-eighths inch wide, be headed with "For Office Use Only", and be subdivided with a light vertical line down the middle with the left subdivision entitled "Registered" and the right subdivision left untitled;

(ii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Registered Voter's Printed Name (must be legible to be counted)";

(iii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Signature of Registered Voter";

(iv) the next column shall be one inch wide, headed "Birth Date or Age (Optional)"; and

(v) the final column shall be 4-3/8 inches wide, headed "Street Address, City, Zip Code";

(i) spanning the sheet horizontally beneath each row on which a registered voter may submit the information described in Subsection (2)(h), contain the following statement printed or typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
     "By signing this petition, you are stating that you have read and understand the law proposed by this petition."; and

(j) at the bottom of the sheet, contain the following statement: "Birth date or age information is not required, but it may be used to verify your identity with voter registration records. If you choose not to provide it, your signature may not be verified as a valid signature if you change your address before petition signatures are verified or if the information you provide does not match your voter registration records."

(3) The final page of each initiative packet shall contain the following printed or typed statement:
     "Verification
     State of Utah, County of ____
     I, _______________, of ____, hereby state that:
     I am a resident of Utah and am at least 18 years old;
     All the names that appear in this initiative packet were signed by persons who professed to be the persons whose names appear in it, and each of them signed his name on it in my presence;
     I believe that each has printed and signed his name and written his post office address and residence correctly, and that each signer is registered to vote in Utah or intends to become registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the county clerk.
     _____________________________"

(4) The forms prescribed in this section are not mandatory, and, if substantially followed, the initiative petitions are sufficient, notwithstanding clerical and merely technical errors.

Amended by Chapter 329, 2014 General Session