BALLOT MEASURES – Amends existing law to require signature gatherers to be qualified electors and to require paid signature gatherers to provide the name of the persons or entities that are paying them on their badge.

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
501
BY
STATE
AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
BALLOT
MEASURES;
AMENDING
SECTION
34
-
1807,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
RE
-
2
VISE
PROVISIONS
REGARDING
THE
CIRCULATION
OF
PETITIONS,
TO
PROVIDE
CER
-
3
TAIN
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
SIGNATURE
GATHERERS,
AND
TO
MAKE
TECHNICAL
COR
-
4
RECTIONS;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY
AND
PROVIDING
AN
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
5
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
6
SECTION
1.
That
Section
34
-
1807,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
7
amended
to
read
as
follows:
8
34
-
1807.
CIRCULATION
OF
PETITIONS
-
-
PAID
SIGNATURE
GATHERERS
-
-
9
VERIFICATION
OF
PETITION
AND
SIGNATURE
SHEETS
-
-
CERTIFICATION
OF
PETITION
10
SIGNERS
-
-
CERTAIN
PETITIONS
AND
SIGNATURES
VOID.
(1)
Any
person
who
cir
-
1
1
culates
any
petition
for
an
initiative
or
referendum
shall
be
a
resident
12
qualified
elector
of
the
state
of
Idaho
and
at
least
eighteen
(18)
years
of
13
age
.
14
(2)(a)
Any
person
who
accepts
payment
to
circulate
a
petition
for
an
15
initiative
or
referendum
shall,
prior
to
accepting
a
signature:
16
(i)
Verbally
notify
any
potential
signatory
that
such
person
is
17
accepting
payment
to
gather
signatures
and
provide
the
name
of
the
18
person
or
entity
providing
payment
to
such
person;
and
19
(ii)
Cause
to
be
printed
on
each
page
of
any
petition
for
an
ini
-
20
tiative
or
referendum
a
prominent
and
legible
declaration
that
21
such
person
is
receiving
payment
in
exchange
for
circulating
the
22
petition
and
the
name
of
the
person
persons
or
entities
providing
23
payment
to
such
person.
24
(b)
At
all
times
a
person
is
circulating
a
petition
pursuant
to
para
-
25
graph
(a)
of
this
subsection,
such
person
shall
wear
a
badge
that
is
26
clearly
visible
to
any
potential
signatory
and
that
contains
the
words
27
"paid
petition
circulator"
on
it
as
well
as
the
name
of
the
persons
or
28
entities
providing
payment
to
such
person
.
29
(c)
The
Idaho
secretary
of
state
shall
promulgate
rules
to
implement
30
the
provisions
of
this
subsection,
which
shall
provide
details
re
-
31
garding
the
font
specifications
that
shall
be
required
for
the
printed
32
declaration
required
under
paragraph
(a)(ii)
of
this
subsection
and
the
33
specifications
regarding
font,
shape,
color,
and
size
requirements
for
34
the
badge
required
under
paragraph
(b)
of
this
subsection.
35
(3)
Each
and
every
sheet
of
every
such
petition
containing
signatures
36
shall
be
verified
on
the
face
thereof
in
substantially
the
following
form,
37
by
the
person
who
circulated
said
sheet
of
said
petition,
by
his
or
her
affi
-
38
davit
thereon,
and
as
a
part
thereof:
39
(a)
For
persons
not
accepting
payment
for
circulating
a
petition:
40

2
State
of
Idaho
)
1
)ss.
2
County
of....
)
3
I,....,
being
first
duly
sworn,
say
that
I
am
a
resident
qualified
elec
-
4
tor
of
the
State
of
Idaho
and
at
least
eighteen
(18)
years
of
age
;
that
I
have
5
not
and
will
not
accept
remuneration
in
any
way
related
to
the
petition;
that
6
every
person
who
signed
this
sheet
of
the
foregoing
petition
signed
his
or
7
her
name
thereto
in
my
presence;
that
I
believe
that
each
has
stated
his
or
8
her
name,
address
and
residence
correctly;
and
that
each
signer
is
a
quali
-
9
fied
elector
of
the
State
of
Idaho
and
a
resident
of
the
county
of.....
10
Signed
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.
.
.
.
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.
1
1
Post
office
address
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
12
Subscribed
and
sworn
to
before
me
this....
day
of.....
13
(Notary
Seal)
Notary
Public
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
14
Residing
at
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.
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.
.
.
15
(b)
For
persons
accepting
payment
for
circulating
a
petition:
16
State
of
Idaho
)
17
)ss.
18
County
of....
)
19
I,....,
being
first
duly
sworn,
say
that
I
am
a
resident
qualified
elec
-
20
tor
of
the
state
State
of
Idaho
and
at
least
eighteen
(18)
years
of
age
;
that
21
every
person
who
signed
this
sheet
of
the
foregoing
petition
signed
his
or
22
her
name
thereto
in
my
presence,
after
I
verbally
notified
each
individual
23
signer
that
I
will
receive
payment
in
exchange
for
gathering
the
signatures
24
on
this
sheet;
that
I
believe
that
each
has
stated
his
or
her
name,
address
25
and
residence
correctly;
and
that
each
signer
is
a
qualified
elector
of
the
26
State
of
Idaho
and
a
resident
of
the
county
of.....
27
I
am
accepting
payment
for
the
circulation
of
the
foregoing
petition
28
by....
and
the
address
of
such
payor
is.....
29
Signed
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.
.
.
.
.
30
Post
office
address
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
31
Subscribed
and
sworn
to
before
me
this....
day
of.....
32
(Notary
Seal)
Notary
Public
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
33
Residing
at
.
.
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.
34
(4)
In
addition
to
said
affidavit,
the
county
clerk
shall
carefully
ex
-
35
amine
said
petitions
and
strike
from
the
petition
any
names
for
which
he
has
36
determined
that
the
name,
address,
or
signature
do
not
match
and
confirm
that
37
each
name,
address,
and
signature
matches
those
of
a
qualified
elector
of
the
38
proper
jurisdiction
and
that
the
petitions
conform
to
all
other
provisions
39
of
this
section.
The
county
clerk
shall
attach
to
the
signature
sheets
a
cer
-
40
tificate
to
the
secretary
of
state
substantially
as
follows:
41
State
of
Idaho
)
42
)ss.
43
County
of....
)
44
To
the
Honorable....,
Secretary
of
State
for
the
State
of
Idaho:
45
I,....,
County
Clerk
of....
County,
hereby
certify
that....
signatures
on
46

3
this
petition
are
those
of
qualified
electors
in
Legislative
District
Num
-
1
ber.....
2
Signed
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.
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.
3
County
Clerk
or
Deputy.
4
(Seal
of
office)
5
(5)
The
county
clerk
shall
deliver
the
petition
or
any
part
thereof
to
6
the
person
from
whom
he
received
it
with
his
certificate
attached
thereto
7
as
above
provided.
The
forms
herein
given
are
not
mandatory
and
if
substan
-
8
tially
followed
in
any
petition,
it
shall
be
sufficient,
disregarding
cleri
-
9
cal
and
merely
technical
error.
10
(6)
Any
petition
on
which
signatures
are
obtained
by
a
person
not
a
1
1
resident
qualified
elector
of
the
state
of
Idaho
and
at
least
eighteen
(18)
12
years
of
age
shall
be
void.
The
definition
of
resident
qualified
elector
in
13
section
34
-
107
34
-
104
,
Idaho
Code,
shall
apply
to
the
circulators
of
initia
-
14
tive
and
referendum
petitions.
15
(7)
Any
signature
that
is
not
a
physical
signature,
including
an
elec
-
16
tronic
signature,
is
void.
17
(8)
Any
petition
for
an
initiative
or
referendum
on
which
signatures
18
are
obtained
that
is
circulated
in
violation
of
the
disclosure
provisions
19
provided
in
subsection
(2)
of
this
section
is
void.
20
SECTION
2.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
21
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
22
July
1,
2026.
23