Utah Code 20A-7-201. Statewide initiatives — Signature requirements — Submission to the Legislature or to a vote of the people

20A-7-201. Statewide initiatives — Signature requirements — Submission to the Legislature or to a vote of the people.

(1)

Terms Used In Utah Code 20A-7-201

Certified: means that the county clerk has acknowledged a signature as being the signature of a registered voter. See Utah Code 20A-7-101
Election: means a regular general election, a municipal general election, a statewide special election, a local special election, a regular primary election, a municipal primary election, and a special district election. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
Initiative: means a new law proposed for adoption by the public as provided in this chapter. See Utah Code 20A-7-101
Initiative application: means :

(a)	for a statewide initiative, an application described in Subsection 20A-7-202(2) that includes all the information, statements, documents, and notarized signatures required under Subsection 20A-7-202(2); or

(b)

for a local initiative, an application described in Subsection 20A-7-502(2) that includes all the information, statements, documents, and notarized signatures required under Subsection 20A-7-502(2). See Utah Code 20A-7-101

Legal signatures: means the number of signatures of legal voters that:

(a)	meet the numerical requirements of this chapter; and

(b)

have been obtained, certified, and verified as provided in this chapter. See Utah Code 20A-7-101

Person: means :Utah Code 68-3-12.5

Regular general election: means the election held throughout the state on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year for the purposes established in Section 20A-1-201. See Utah Code 20A-1-102

Signature: includes a name, mark, or sign written with the intent to authenticate an instrument or writing. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5

State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5

(a)

A person seeking to have an initiative submitted to the Legislature for approval or rejection shall, after filing an initiative application, obtain:

(i)	legal signatures equal to 4% of the number of active voters in the state on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election; and

(ii)	from at least 26 Utah State Senate districts, legal signatures equal to 4% of the number of active voters in that district on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election.

(b)

If, at any time not less than 10 days before the beginning of the next annual general session of the Legislature, the lieutenant governor declares that an initiative petition designated under Subsection 20A-7-202(2)(c)(i) for submission to the Legislature is signed by a sufficient number of voters to meet the requirements of Subsection (1)(a), the lieutenant governor shall deliver a copy of the initiative petition, the text of the proposed law, and the cover sheet described in Subsection (1)(c) to the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House, and the director of the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

(c)

The lieutenant governor shall prepare a cover sheet for a petition declared sufficient under Subsection (1)(b) that contains:

(i)	the number of active voters in the state on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election;

(ii)	the number of active voters in each Utah State Senate district on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election;

(iii)

the total number of certified signatures obtained for the initiative petition; and

(iv)	the total number of certified signatures obtained from each Utah State Senate district for the initiative petition.

(2)

(a)

A person seeking to have an initiative submitted to a vote of the people for approval or rejection shall, after filing an initiative application, obtain:

(i)	legal signatures equal to 8% of the number of active voters in the state on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election; and

(ii)	from at least 26 Utah State Senate districts, legal signatures equal to 8% of the number of active voters in that district on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election.

(b)

If an initiative petition meets the requirements of this part and the lieutenant governor declares that the initiative petition is signed by a sufficient number of voters to meet the requirements of Subsection (2)(a), the lieutenant governor shall submit the proposed law to a vote of the people at the next regular general election:

(i)	immediately after the application is filed under Section 20A-7-202; and

(ii)	specified on the petition under Section 20A-7-203.

(3)

The lieutenant governor shall provide the following information to any interested person:

(a)	the number of active voters in the state on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election; and

(b)	for each Utah State Senate district, the number of active voters in that district on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election.

Amended by Chapter 107, 2023 General Session

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