D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 3, r. 3-1001

Current through Register Vol. 71, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Rule 3-1001 - ADOPTION OF BALLOT LANGUAGE

1001.1

Within twenty (20) calendar days of the date on which the Board accepts the initiative or referendum measure, the Board shall:

(a) Prepare the following for adoption at a public meeting:

(1) An abbreviated and impartial summary statement, written in plain language, that does not exceed one hundred (100) words in length and which expresses the chief purpose of the proposed measure;

(2) A short title for the measure not exceeding fifteen (15) words in length by which it will be readily identifiable and distinguishable from other measures which may appear on the ballot; and

(3) The proper legislative form of the initiative or referendum measure, where applicable, similar to the form of an act that has completed the course of the legislative process within the District of Columbia government before transmittal to Congress.

(b) Submit for publication in the District of Columbia Register notice of the public meeting to adopt the summary statement, short title, and legislative form of the measure which, in the case of an initiative measure, shall be held after the deadline for the Board's receipt of the fiscal impact statement described in Subsection 1000.7 of this chapter. The notice of the public meeting shall include the formulations prepared by the Board.

1001.2

For the purposes of this section, the following rules shall apply to the counting of words in the summary statement and short title:

(a) Punctuation is not counted;

(b) Each word shall be counted as one (1) word except as specified in this subsection;

(c) All geographical names shall be considered as one (1) word; for example, "District of Columbia" shall be counted as one (1) word;

(d) Each abbreviation for a word, phrase, or expression shall be counted as one (1) word;

(e) Hyphenated words that appear in any generally available dictionary shall be considered as one (1) word. Each part of all other hyphenated words shall be counted as a separate word;

(f) Dates consisting of a combination of words and digits shall be counted as two (2) words. Dates consisting only of a combination of digits shall be counted as one (1) word; and

(g) Any number consisting of a digit or digits shall be considered as one (1) word. Any number which is spelled, such as "one," shall be considered as a separate word or words. "One" shall be counted as one (1) word whereas "one hundred" shall be counted as two (2) words. The number one hundred "100," shall be counted as one (1) word.

1001.3

Within twenty-four (24) hours after the public meeting at which the summary statement, short title, and legislative text are adopted, the Board shall:

(a) Notify the proposer of the measure of the adopted language by email;

(b) Submit the adopted language to the District of Columbia Register and at least one newspaper of general circulation for publication, and post it on its website; and

(c) In the case of an initiative measure, publish the measure's fiscal impact statement in the District of Columbia Register and at least one newspaper of general circulation for publication, and post it on its website.

1001.4

Any registered qualified elector who objects to the adopted language formulated by the Board may petition the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for review within ten days from the date of publication in the District of Columbia Register in the case of an initiative measure, and within ten days from the date of publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the case of a referendum measure. If no review in the Superior Court is sought, the adopted language shall be considered certified at the expiration of the ten (10) day period for review and shall be provided to the proposer by certified mail and email.

1001.5

The certified short title shall be the title of the measure furnished with the petition, the title printed on the ballot, and the title used in any other proceedings relating to the measure.

D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 3, r. 3-1001

Final Rulemaking published at 43 DCR 103-4 (January 12, 1996); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 61 DCR 625 (January 24, 2014); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 67 DCR 6164 (6/11/2021); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 69 DCR 5226 (5/13/2022); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 70 DCR15793 (12/15/2023)

Section 11717 of Title XI of the National Capital Revitalization and Self Government Improvement Act of 1997 amended section 101 of the District of Columbia Self-Government Reorganization Act by striking "District of Columbia Self Government and Governmental Reorganization Act" and inserting "District of Columbia Home Rule Act." Therefore, all reference, to the "District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act" shall mean the "District of Columbia Home Rule Act."

Authority: D.C. Official Code § 1-1001.05(a)(14).