D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 3, r. 3-1009

Current through Register 71, No. 45, November 7, 2024

Rule 3-1009 - PETITION CERTIFICATION

1009.1

Within thirty (30) calendar days after the acceptance of an initiative or referendum petition for filing, the Board shall determine whether the petition contains the number of valid signatures necessary, in terms of percentage and ward distribution requirements, to be certified for ballot access.

1009.2

Upon the acceptance of a petition, the Executive Director or his or her designee shall:

(a) Verify the registration of each petition signer; and

(b) Determine the number of signatures of verified registrants.

1009.3

The signatures of the verified registrants shall comprise the universe of signatures from which a random sample will be drawn for purposes of verifying the signatures' authenticity ("random sample universe").

1009.4

A signature will not be counted and included in the random sample universe if:

(a) The signer's voter registration was designated as inactive on the voter roll at the time the petition was signed;

(b) The signer, according to the Board's records, is not registered to vote at the address listed on the petition at the time the petition was signed, except that, if the Board's records indicate that the voter filed a change of address after the date on which the petition was signed but that was received on or before the petition was submitted, the signature shall be included in the random sample universe;

(c) The signature is a duplicate of a valid signature;

(d) The signature is not dated;

(e) The petition does not include the printed or typed address of the signer;

(f) The petition does not include the printed or typed name of the signer where the signature is not sufficiently legible for identification;

(g) The circulator of the petition sheet was not a qualified petition circulator at the time the petition was signed;

(h) The circulator of the petition failed to complete all required information in the circulator's affidavit;

(i) [REPEALED]; or

(j) The signature was obtained on a petition sheet that was submitted on behalf of a previously filed initiative or referendum petition that was rejected or found to be numerically insufficient.

1009.5

Each signature in the random sample universe shall be ascribed to the ward in which the signer was a duly registered voter on the date the petition was signed regardless of whether any subsequent redistricting causes the voter to be assigned to a new ward, except that if the Board's records indicate that the voter filed a change of address after the date on which the petition was signed, but that was received on or before the petition was submitted, the signature shall be included in the ward of the voter's new address.

1009.6

If the number of signatures in the random sample universe does not meet or exceed the established ward and District-wide requirements, the Board shall reject the petition as numerically insufficient.

1009.7

If the number of signatures in the random sample universe meets or exceeds the established minimum ward and District-wide requirements, the Board shall supply the Data Analysis and Visualization Division of the Office of Planning with the signatures in the random sample universe, broken down by ward. The Data Analysis and Visualization Division shall draw and identify for the Board a sample of one hundred (100) signatures from each ward to be verified, except where:

(a) The Data Analysis and Visualization Division determines that sampling the signatures of a given ward would not be necessary for the Board to make a determination to accept or reject the petition; or

(b) The Data Analysis and Visualization Division determines that a sample larger than one hundred (100) must be drawn in order for the Board to make a determination to accept or reject the petition, and thus draws and identifies an appropriate sample size. If necessary to reach the required levels of statistical certainty, the Data Analysis and Visualization Division may draw progressively larger sample sizes or, at the discretion of the Board, the entire random sample universe of signatures may be tested.

1009.8

In making the determination as to the authenticity of a signature, the Board shall disqualify a signature if the signature appearing on the petition does not match the signature on file in the Board's records.

1009.9

The Board shall report the number of authentic signatures in each ward sample ("random sample results") to the Data Analysis and Visualization Division. Using the random sample results, the Data Analysis and Visualization Division shall employ formulas from the fields of probability and statistics to determine the following:

(a) Whether a ward equals or exceeds the required number of authentic signatures with ninety-five percent (95%) confidence, and should thus be accepted;

(b) Whether a ward does not equal or exceed the required number of authentic signatures with ninety-five percent (95%) confidence, and should thus be rejected; or

(c) Whether a larger sample should be drawn since no decision could be made with ninety-five percent (95%) confidence from the sample used.

1009.10

If is the Data Analysis and Visualization Division determines that at least five (5) of the eight (8) election wards have the required number of valid signatures, then it shall use a stratified random sampling formula to combine the figures from all wards which were sampled to determine whether the entire number of authentic signatures appearing on the petition is equal in number to five percent (5%) of the registered electors in the District of Columbia with ninety-five percent (95%) confidence. The Data Analysis and Visualization Division shall request that the Board verify additional signatures for authenticity if a larger sample is needed to make a determination, unless the Board in the exercise of its discretion requires that the entire random sample universe of signatures shall be tested.

1009.11

If the total number of authentic signatures equals or exceeds the ward and District-wide signature requirements with ninety-five percent (95%) confidence, the Board shall certify the petition as numerically sufficient for ballot access.

1009.12

If the total number of authentic signatures fails to equal or exceed the ward and District-wide signature requirements with ninety-five percent (95%) confidence, the Board shall certify the petition as numerically insufficient to qualify for ballot access.

D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 3, r. 3-1009

Final Rulemaking published at 43 DCR 103 (January 12, 1996); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 47 DCR 6977 (August 27, 1999); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 59 DCR 4773, 4774 (May 11, 2012); as corrected by an Errata Notice published at 59 DCR 5193 (May 18, 2012); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 60 DCR 5582 (April 12, 2013); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 61 DCR 625 (January 24, 2014); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 69 DCR 5226 (5/13/2022); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 70 DCR15793 (12/15/2023)

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