[EL] Initiative requirements

[Cover, Benjamin (bcover@uidaho.edu)]

Under current Idaho law, to get an initiative on the ballot, the sponsor must obtain signatures from 6% of the electorate in at least 18 of the state's 35 legislative districts within an 18-month time frame. The Idaho Senate just passed a bill (18-17) that would tighten these requirements so that a sponsor must obtain signatures from 10% of the electorate in at least 32 legislative districts within a 180-day time frame. (Note that Idaho passed Medicaid expansion via ballot initiative in the 2018 election.) The bill will soon be considered by the Idaho House.

A student of mine is researching this bill for her legislative internship. She's looking for information that would help quantify how difficult it would be for an initiative sponsor to meet these requirements. For example, presumably x% of collected signatures are rejected for various reasons, so a sponsor would actually have to collect signatures from more than 10% of the electorate in 32 of 35 districts.

If you could point me towards useful information on this topic, I would appreciate it if you contact me off list.

Thanks,
Benji

Benjamin Plener Cover
Associate Professor of Law
University of Idaho College of Law

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