ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES (Section 115.961)

The act requires the Secretary of State to establish by rule a program that will accept electronic signatures for voter registration applications and initiative petitions.

Furthermore, the Secretary of State is required to review current privacy and security measures applicable to the existing electronic voter registration files and establish enhanced standards and procedures to further safeguard the privacy, integrity, and security of voter registration information.

STANDARDIZED FORMS (Section 116.045)

This act requires the Secretary of State to prescribe forms for the signature pages of initiative and referendum petitions. Such forms shall be made available in an electronic format and used for all initiative and referendum petitions.

FILING OF SAMPLE SHEETS (Sections 116.050 and 116.332)

This act requires that on each page of a proposed measure, the text of the measure shall be double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font with one inch margins. Furthermore, no initiative petition shall declare any federal law void or in violation of the United States Constitution, amend any federal law, or accomplish an act that the United States Constitution requires to be accomplished by the General Assembly.

The act stipulates that sample initiative sheets shall be filed no earlier than 12 weeks following a general election.

FILING FEES (Section 116.050)

The Secretary of State is required to collect a fee of $500 for each petition sample sheet filed with its office, with an additional $10 fee for each page that the measure exceeds ten pages. Fees shall be refunded if the measure is certified for the ballot.

SAMPLE BALLOTS (Sections 116.160 and 116.230)

Current law provides that the official summary statement of an initiative petition shall contain no more than 50 words, excluding articles. This act provides that the statement shall contain no more than 150 words total. Furthermore, the act requires each sample ballot prepared by the Secretary of State to contain the words "Shall the measure summarized be approved?" with options to vote yes or no.

DUTIES OF ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SECRETARY OF STATE

(Sections 116.332 and 116.334)

Current law requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to each review an initiative petition only as to form and approve or reject the petition based on compliance with the procedural requirements of the law. This act specifies that both the Attorney General and the Secretary of State shall review each petition for compliance as to form as well as compliance with the United States Constitution and Missouri Constitution.

COURT-ORDERED CHANGES TO BALLOT TITLE (Section 116.334)

The act provides that in the event of a court-ordered change to the official ballot title, all signatures gathered prior to the change shall be invalidated.

PETITION PUBLICATIONS FUND (Section 116.270)

The act creates the Secretary of State's Petition Publications Fund. The purpose of the Petition Publications Fund is to pay any refunds to persons submitting petitions that become certified and to also pay publication expenses incurred in submitting statewide ballot measures to the voters.

This act is similar to SS/SCS/SB 893 (2018).

This act has a delayed effective date of November 7, 2018.

SCOTT SVAGERA