West Virginia Code
Article 23. Horse and Dog Racing
§19-23-20. Petition for Local Option Election

A petition for a local option election on the question of the proposed construction and establishment of a horse or dog racetrack must be signed by qualified voters residing within the county equal to at least fifteen percent of the qualified voters within said county at the last general election. Said petition may be in any number of counterparts, but must be filed with the county commission prior to the expiration of the sixty-day period specified in the notice published by the Racing Commission in accordance with the provisions of section nineteen of this article. Said petition shall be sufficient if in substantially the following form:
"PETITION FOR LOCAL OPTION ELECTION CONCERNING THE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A (HORSE OR DOG) RACETRACK IN _________________ COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
"Each of the undersigned certifies that he or she is an individual residing in ______________ County, West Virginia, and is a qualified voter in said county under the laws of this state, and that his or her name, address and the date of signing this petition are correctly set forth below.
"The undersigned petition the county commission to call and hold a local option election as required by article twenty- three, chapter nineteen of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, upon the following question: 'Shall the West Virginia Racing Commission issue a construction permit authorizing the construction and establishment of a (horse or dog) racetrack where (horse or dog) race meetings may be held or conducted and the pari-mutuel system of wagering permitted and conducted in _______________ County, West Virginia?'
Name Address Date
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
(Each individual signing must specify either his post-office address or his street name and number.)"

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