Statewide Petition Signature Requirements
Relevant sections of law are found in Article V of the Oklahoma Constitution and Title 34 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Additional provisions concerning constitutional amendments are found in Article 24 of the Oklahoma Constitution.
Statutory Update (2025 Legislative Session)
Under Senate Bill 1027 (effective May 23, 2025*), updates were enacted regarding the Oklahoma initiative and referendum petition process. In addition to constitutional signature requirements, statewide petitions are subject to Per County Signature Cap Thresholds.
Under these statutory caps, the maximum number of valid signatures counted from any single county cannot exceed a specific percentage of the total votes cast for Governor in that county during the most recent gubernatorial general election:
Statutory Initiative & Referendum Petitions: Capped at 11.5% of gubernatorial votes cast in each individual county.
Constitutional Initiative Petitions: Capped at 20.8% of gubernatorial votes cast in each individual county.
Proponents must ensure signatures are gathered across multiple counties to meet statewide target totals while remaining within each county's allowable signature ceiling.
Constitutional Signature Requirements
Constitutional Reference: Oklahoma Constitution, Art. 5, Section 2
The ratio and percentage of legal voters required for statewide petitions is calculated from the total votes cast at the last general election for the Office of Governor.
As certified by the Oklahoma State Election Board, the total votes cast for the office of Governor at the General Election in 2022 were 1,153,284. Signature requirements for the petition types listed below are derived by applying the parenthetical percentages indicated and remain valid from November 16, 2022 through November 10, 2026.
| Types of Statewide Petitons | Total Votes |
|---|---|
Referendum (5%) | 57,664 |
Initiative for Statutory Change (8%) | 92,263 |
Initiative for Constitutional Change (15%) | 172,993 |
Rejected Initiative or Referendum Measures (25%) | 288,321 |
Per County Threshold Breakdown
Because county signature caps are calculated individually based on local voter turnout from the 2022 General Election, maximum allowable counts vary for each of Oklahoma's 77 counties. These totals remain valid from May 23, 2025* through November 10, 2026.
