(1) Before circulating a petition to initiate or refer a district measure, the petitioner shall file with the elections officer a prospective petition. The elections officer immediately shall date and time stamp the prospective petition, and specify the form on which the petition shall be printed for circulation. The officer shall retain the prospective petition.

(2) The cover of an initiative or referendum petition shall designate the name and city and state of residence of not more than three persons as chief petitioners and shall contain instructions for persons obtaining signatures of electors on the petition. The instructions shall be adopted by the Secretary of State by rule. The cover of a referendum petition shall contain the title described in ORS § 255.145 (1). If the circuit court has not reviewed the ballot title under ORS § 255.155, the cover of an initiative petition shall contain the ballot title described in ORS § 255.145 (3). If the circuit court has reviewed the ballot title, the cover of the initiative petition shall contain the title certified by the court.

(3) The chief petitioners shall include with the prospective petition a statement declaring whether one or more persons will be paid money or other valuable consideration for obtaining signatures of electors on the initiative or referendum petition. After the prospective petition is filed, the chief petitioners shall notify the filing officer not later than the 10th day after any of the chief petitioners first has knowledge or should have had knowledge that:

(a) Any person is being paid for obtaining signatures, when the statement included with the prospective petition declared that no such person would be paid.

(b) No person is being paid for obtaining signatures, when the statement included with the prospective petition declared that one or more such persons would be paid.

(4)(a) Each sheet of signatures on an initiative petition shall contain the caption of the ballot title. Each sheet of signatures on a referendum petition shall contain the number of the ordinance to be referred and the date it was adopted by the district board.

(b) Each sheet of signatures on an initiative or referendum petition shall, if one or more persons will be paid for obtaining signatures of electors on the petition, contain a notice stating: ‘Some Circulators For This Petition Are Being Paid.’

(5) The reverse side of the cover of an initiative or referendum petition shall be used for obtaining signatures on an initiative or referendum petition.

(6) Not more than 20 signatures on the signature sheet of the initiative or referendum petition shall be counted. The circulator shall certify on each signature sheet that the circulator:

(a) Witnessed the signing of the signature sheet by each individual whose signature appears on the signature sheet; and

(b) Believes each individual is an elector registered in the district.

(7) Unless otherwise provided by a district ordinance, the gathering of signatures on a petition to initiate a district measure may not exceed a period of two years from the time the petition is approved for circulation.

(8) The elections officer may not accept for filing any petition that has not met the provisions of subsection (7) of this section.

(9) A petition to initiate a district measure must be filed not less than 90 days before the election at which the proposed law is to be voted on.

(10) The person obtaining signatures on the petition shall carry at least one full and correct copy of the measure to be initiated or referred and shall allow any person to review a copy upon request of the person. [1979 c.190 § 292; 1981 c.909 § 8; 1983 c.756 § 12; 1991 c.106 § 3; 1992 c.1 § 4; 1995 c.607 § 48; 1997 c.846 § 4; 1999 c.318 § 30; 2001 c.965 § 7; 2007 c.848 § 18; 2011 c.607 § 13; 2021 c.473 § 4]