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H0501

New Rules for People Collecting Petition Signatures in Idaho

Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 7:59 AM

In one sentence

This bill requires all people collecting petition signatures to be qualified voters and forces paid collectors to clearly show who is paying them.

Requires anyone circulating a ballot measure petition to be at least 18 years old and a resident qualified elector of Idaho.
Mandates that paid signature gatherers verbally tell people they are being paid before asking for a signature.
Requires printed text on every page of the petition stating the collector is paid and naming who pays them.
Forces paid collectors to wear a visible badge with 'paid petition circulator' written on it along with their payer's name.
Directs the Secretary of State to create specific rules about font sizes for printed text and design details for badges.
Declares any petition void if signatures were collected by someone who is not a qualified voter or who broke these new disclosure rules.

People who collect signatures for ballot measures in Idaho
Organizations that hire people to gather signatures
The Secretary of State's office, which must write the specific badge and print rules
County clerks who verify petition sheets

The bill does not list specific font sizes or badge colors because it requires the Secretary of State to write those rules later.
The text states that electronic signatures are void, meaning only physical handwritten signatures count under this law.
The effective date is set for July 1, 2026.

Plain language

Qualified elector: A person defined by Idaho law as eligible to vote.
Initiative or referendum: Ballot measures that let voters approve new laws or change existing ones through a petition process.
Void: Not valid; the law says these petitions cannot be used to put an item on the ballot.

Official record

Source attached

Signature gatherers, notice

Official activity