Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 3519 | Initiative; Referendum
Section 3519.05 | Form of Petitions.

Effective: June 21, 2013
Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 47 - 130th General Assembly
(A) If the measure to be submitted proposes a constitutional amendment, the heading of each part of the petition shall be prepared in the following form, and printed in capital letters in type of the approximate size set forth:
"INITIATIVE PETITION
Amendment to the Constitution
Proposed by Initiative Petition
To be submitted directly to the electors"
"Amendment" printed in fourteen-point boldface type shall precede the title, which shall be briefly expressed and printed in eight-point type. The summary shall then be set forth printed in ten-point type, and then shall follow the certification of the attorney general, under proper date, which shall also be printed in ten-point type. The petition shall then set forth the names and addresses of the committee of not less than three nor more than five to represent the petitioners in all matters relating to the petition or its circulation.
Immediately above the heading of the place for signatures on each part of the petition the following notice shall be printed in boldface type:
"NOTICE
Whoever knowingly signs this petition more than once; except as provided in section 3501.382 of the Revised Code, signs a name other than one's own on this petition; or signs this petition when not a qualified voter, is liable to prosecution."
The heading of the place for signatures shall be substantially as follows:
"(Sign with ink. Your name, residence, and date of signing must be given.)
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________
(Voters who do not live in a municipal corporation should fill in the information called for by headings printed above.)
(Voters who reside in municipal corporations should fill in the information called for by headings printed below.)
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________
The text of the proposed amendment shall be printed in full, immediately following the place for signatures, and shall be prefaced by "Be it resolved by the people of the State of Ohio." Immediately following the text of the proposed amendment must appear the following form:
"I, _________, declare under penalty of election falsification that I am the circulator of the foregoing petition paper containing the signatures of _________ electors, that the signatures appended hereto were made and appended in my presence on the date set opposite each respective name, and are the signatures of the persons whose names they purport to be or of attorneys in fact acting pursuant to section 3501.382 of the Revised Code, and that the electors signing this petition did so with knowledge of the contents of same. I am employed to circulate this petition by ________________________________ (Name and address of employer). (The preceding sentence shall be completed as required by section 3501.38 of the Revised Code if the circulator is being employed to circulate the petition.)
(Signed) ________________________
(Address of circulator's permanent
residence in this state)
__________________________________
WHOEVER COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH DEGREE."
(B) If the measure proposes a law, the heading of each part of the petition shall be prepared as follows:
"INITIATIVE PETITION
Law proposed by initiative petition first to be submitted to the General Assembly."
In all other respects, the form shall be as provided for the submission of a constitutional amendment, except that the text of the proposed law shall be prefaced by "Be it enacted by the people of the state of Ohio."
The form for a supplementary initiative petition shall be the same as that provided for an initiative petition, with the exception that "supplementary" shall precede "initiative" in the title thereof.
(C) The general provisions set forth in this section relative to the form and order of an initiative petition shall be, so far as practical, applicable to a referendum petition, the heading of which shall be as follows:
"REFERENDUM PETITION
To be submitted to the electors for their approval or rejection"
The title, which follows the heading, shall contain a brief legislative history of the law, section, or item of law to be referred. The text of the law so referred shall be followed by the certification of the secretary of state, in accordance with division (B)(2)(b) of section 3519.01 of the Revised Code, that it has been compared with the copy of the enrolled act, on file in the secretary of state's office, containing such law, section, or item of law, and found to be correct.
(D) The secretary of state shall prescribe a form for part petitions to be submitted during the ten-day period beginning on the first day following the date that the secretary of state notifies the chairperson of the committee interested in the petition that the petition has an insufficient number of valid signatures. The secretary of state shall provide to each particular committee a different form that contains a unique identifier and that is separate from the forms prescribed in divisions (A), (B), and (C) of this section. The secretary of state shall make the form available to the committee only as described in division (F) of section 3519.16 of the Revised Code. The form shall not be considered a public record until after the secretary of state makes it available to the committee under that division.
The form shall comply with the requirements of Section 1g of Article II, Ohio Constitution and, except as otherwise provided in this division, with the requirements of divisions (A), (B), and (C) of this section.