 
California Initiative Process
The initiative and referendum powers are contained in Article II of
the California Constitution. It states, "The initiative is the power
of the electors to propose statues and amendments to the constitution
and to adopt or reject them." Below is an abbreviated explanation
of the process one must follow to propose a statewide initiative.
This was drawn from information provided by the Public Policy Institute
of California (PPIC) and the office of the Secretary of State. For
a complete summary of the process, please visit the California
Secretary of State website.
Step One - Writing the text of the law
The first step in the process of qualifying an initiative is to write
the text of the proposed law. The measure's proponents may obtain
assistance from the Legislative Counsel in drafting the measure, seek
the assistance of their own private counsel to help draft the text
of the proposed law, or they may choose to write the text themselves.
Step two - Request for title and summary
The text of the law must then be submitted to the office of the Attorney
General along with a written request for a title and summary of the
proposed measure and a $200 fee. Upon receipt of the fee and request,
the Attorney General prepares a title and summary which will be the
official summary of the measure. The Secretary of State then approves
it for circulation.
Step three - Circulation
In order to qualify for the ballot the initiative measure must be
signed by a specified number of registered voters, depending on the
type of initiative submitted. The total number of signatures required
for initiative statutes is 5% of the of the gubernatorial voter number
(currently 419,260 signatures). The total number of signatures required
for an initiative constitutional amendment is 8% or 670,816 signatures.
Proponents are allowed a maximum of 150 days to circulate petitions
and collect signatures. The format for the petition is specified by
law.
Step four - Filing
Once the requisite number of signatures has been collected and verified,
the Secretary of State will place the initiative on the ballot for
the next general election held at least 131 days after it qualifies
or at any statewide special election.
Step five - At the Ballot
An initiative measure approved by a majority vote takes effect the
day after the election unless the measure provides otherwise. If the
provisions of two or more measures approved at the same election conflict,
those of the measures receiving the highest affirmative vote prevail.
The Legislature may amend or repeal an initiative statute by another
statute that becomes effective only when approved by the electors,
unless the initiative statute permits amendment or repeal without
voter approval.
Resources
Secretary of State, Elections Division
1500 11th Street, Fifth Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814
tel. 916.657.2166 / fax 916.653.3214
http://www.ss.ca.gov
Attorney General - Initiative Coordinator
1300 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
tel. 916. 324.5490
http://caag.state.ca.us
Secretary of State, Political Reform Division
1500 11th Street, Fourth Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814
tel. 916.653.6224
http://www.ss.ca.gov
Fair Political Practices Commission
P.O. Box 807, Sacramento, CA 95814
tel. 916. 322.5660
http://www.fppc.ca.gov
Legislative Counsel
State Capitol, Room 3021, Sacramento, CA 95814
tel. 916.445.3057
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov
Legislative Analyst's Office
925 L Street, Suite 1000, Sacramento, CA 95814
tel. 916. 445.5456
http://www.lao.ca.gov
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