These are the Petition Requirements for 2024-2026

With the 2022 election now certified, we now have the data needed to know what is required for the various petitions voters in Oklahoma can submit to the government.

All statewide petitions are based off the last vote for Governor. This year a total of 1,153,284 voters cast a vote for governor. So all petitions are based off that.

To form a new party, voters would need to submit a petition equal to 3% of that vote. This total is 34,599 valid signatures.

To register an Independent or unaffiliated Presidential candidate, the petition is the same as that for a political party. Alternatively, they can submit a filing fee equal to $5,000 per electoral college vote, or $35,000.

To file a state question to submit a Constitutional Amendment to a vote of the people, voters would need to submit a petition of 15% of the vote for governor. That is 172,993 signatures.

To file a state question to submit a proposal to change are add a law, or initiative, voters would need to submit a petition of 8% of the vote for governor. That is 92,263 signatures.

To file a state question to repeal a newly passed law, or referendum, voters would need to submit a petition of 5% of the vote for governor. That is 57,664 signatures.

Now, these are the total number of VALID signatures. To ensure that petitions meet that requirement, those circulating these petitions often need to get 25-50% more signatures than what is required.

Then there is time requirements. For a new party, the petition can be circulated for up to 12 months. For state questions, these petitions must be completed in 3 months. While there is no time limit for candidate petitions, these are generally limited by announcement to run to the time needed to file.

Finally, there is the cost to circulate the petition. This cost can vary widely, especially taking into account the time restraints. For party petitions, previous success petitions cost around $4 a signature. But for state questions, this cost can go up to $10+ per signature. So these petitions can cost 100s of thousands to over a million dollars.

But this is what Oklahoma voters have to look forward to if they want to change this state for the better.