City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 02
Chapter 02.02
Section 02.02.060
 

Title 02 Council and Legislation

Chapter 02.02 Initiative and Referendum

Section 02.02.060 Form of Initiative Petition

  1. It is the obligation of the sponsor of the measure to print petitions for circulation of the proposed initiative measure. The sponsor is responsible to conform the petition to the requirements of this chapter as to form and content, to determine the number of signatures required, and to print enough petition sheets to accommodate sufficient signatures.

  2. The paper used for the petition sheets must be of sufficient weight and quality to accommodate printing and writing on both sides. Paper size should be between eight and twelve inches wide and between eleven and eighteen inches long. Printing should be no smaller than ten-point face, except that the full text of the measure may be in smaller type if necessary to allow the entire petition to be on a single sheet of paper. For reasons of length of text or other practical necessity, the specifications of this section may be adjusted as the sponsor and city clerk may agree.

  3. The measure must be typed or printed and be in the form of an ordinance, with a title and the entire text of the section(s) proposed to be added, amended or repealed. When the proposed measure would amend existing law, the text shall be in the following format:

    1. Language to be deleted is set forth in full and enclosed in double parentheses or brackets and may be lined out by hyphens.

    2. New language to be added is underlined, unless an entire new section or subsection is being added; and

    3. Deletions of existing language precede additions of new language.

  4. The mandatory and exclusive elements of the petition sheet are:

    1. a warning to potential signers regarding possible election law violations;

    2. a heading;

    3. horizontal lines numbered 1- 20 for the entry of data under vertical columns (or (boxes);

    4. the full text of the measure;

    5. the name and street address of the sponsor (political committee representative or individual legal resident);

    6. the number of the measure;

    7. a ballot title and summary of the measure; and

    8. the signed declaration of the signature gatherer in the form provided in paragraph E below.

  5. Every petition sheet must include the printed name and signed declaration of the signature gatherer. All petition signatures on a petition sheet that does not include the declaration statement signed by the signature gatherer shall be disregarded and not included in the tabulation for validation. The signature gatherer declaration shall be printed as follows:

I, (print name legibly) . . . . . . . . . . . ., swear or affirm under penalty of law that I circulated this sheet of the foregoing petition, and that, to the best of my knowledge, every person who signed this sheet of the foregoing petition knowingly and without any compensation or promise of compensation willingly signed his or her true name and that the information provided therewith is true and correct. I further acknowledge that under chapter 29A.84 RCW, forgery of signatures on this petition constitutes a class C felony, and that offering any consideration or gratuity to any person to induce them to sign a petition is a gross misdemeanor, such violations being punishable by fine or imprisonment or both. _____________________(Signature)_______________(Date)

  1. The warning, heading, initiative number, body of the petition containing the ballot title, numbered signature lines, summary of the measure and declaration of the signature gatherer must appear in that order on the front of each petition sheet. The full text of the measure may be located on the front or the back of the petition sheet as the sponsor determines.

  2. An initiative petition shall only include language and provisions set forth in Chapter 2.02 SMC and may not be altered after being assigned an initiative number by the city clerk pursuant to SMC 2.02.030. The sponsor may only modify the format of the petition sheet to accommodate the size of the petition sheet and the font of the print consistent with SMC 2.02.060 and may not alter the substance of the text or include additional information. Any petition sheet that includes additional information beyond what was included on the initiative petition sheet submitted to the city clerk pursuant to SMC 2.02.030(D) and (E) and which had been assigned an initiative number shall be disregarded, and the petition signatures on that sheet shall not be included in the tabulation for validation.

  3. Each sheet of the petition must be in substantially the following form:

WARNING

Every person who signs this petition with any other than his or her true name, knowingly signs more than one of these petitions, signs this petition when he or she is not a legal voter, or makes any false statement on this petition may be punished by fine or imprisonment .

INITIATIVE PETITION TO THE SPOKANE CITY COUNCIL

[INITIATIVE NO. ___________ ]

We, the undersigned citizens and legal voters of the City of Spokane, Washington, respectfully direct that this proposed ordinance [known as Initiative No. ___________ ], a full, true and correct copy of which is printed herein, be passed without alteration by the Spokane City Council, or be submitted to the electors of the City of Spokane for their approval or rejection at the next available special or general municipal elections. [If submitted to election the proposed ordinance shall appear as the following proposition:

(ballot title)

Each of us for himself or herself says: I have personally signed this petition; I am a legal voter of the City of Spokane; my residence address is correctly stated; and I have knowingly signed this petition only once.


PETITIONER'S
SIGNATURE
(in dark ink and as shown on the signer’s voter
registration)

PRINTED
NAME
(legibly in dark ink)

ADDRESS WHERE REGISTERED TO VOTE
(Street Address, City, State, Zip Code)

1.

    
     

20.

    

(Name, street address and phone number of sponsor)

[(summary of measure)]

DECLARATION OF SIGNATURE GATHERER

I, (print name legibly) . . . . . . . . . . . ., swear or affirm under penalty of law that I circulated this sheet of the foregoing petition, and that, to the best of my knowledge, every person who signed this sheet of the foregoing petition knowingly and without any compensation or promise of compensation willingly signed his or her true name and that the information provided therewith is true and correct. I further acknowledge that under chapter 29A.84 RCW, forgery of signatures on this petition constitutes a class C felony, and that offering any consideration or gratuity to any person to induce them to sign a petition is a gross misdemeanor, such violations being punishable by fine or imprisonment or both. ___________________(Signature)_____________________(Date)

(full text of measure)

Date Passed: Monday, May 9, 2016

Effective Date: Saturday, June 25, 2016

ORD C35380 Section 5