INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIGNATURE GATHERERS

1. To qualify an initiative or referendum for the ballot, signatures of 5 percent of the total number of qualified voters in the state (based on the number of votes cast for the office of governor in the last general election), including 5 percent of the voters in each of 34 legislative house districts must be obtained (a total of 24,175 signatures for the 2016 ballot).

2. A person gathering signatures must be a resident, as provided in 1-1-215, MCA, of the state of Montana, and may not be paid anything of value based on the number of signatures gathered.

3. Only registered voters may sign ballot issue petitions, and they must sign their name substantially the same way as they did on their voter registration card. Do not allow people to sign the back of the petition, as the back of the petition does not have signature lines nor required information. Be sure to check the dates that signers enter on the petition. This can help ensure that signers complete the date field and write the correct dates, and to ensure that it does not incorrectly appear that the signature gatherer signed the affidavit before gathering signatures.

4. No one may knowingly sign a petition for the same ballot measure more than once or sign another person's name to a petition. Anyone who does so may be fined or sentenced to jail time.

5. Each sheet or section of up to 25 sheets of a petition must include an Affidavit of Signature Gatherer from the signature gatherer who was present at the time each elector signed the petition. The affidavit must be signed in front of a public notary, and the same notary must sign and date the affidavit as well. Do not sign the affidavit until after the last signature that will be attached to that affidavit has been gathered.

6. Once the signed and notarized affidavit has been attached to the section of petitions, turn them in to the county election administrator. On the bottom of the petition sheets, you must number each petition chronologically as well as list the name of the county where the signatures were gathered. Make sure all signers reside in the same county! The petitions must be turned in to that county’s election administrator. *NOTE* YOU MAY HAVE NO MORE THAN 25 SHEETS PER AFFIDAVIT IN A SECTION. IF YOU GATHER MORE THAN 25 SHEETS, A SEPARATE AFFIDAVIT IS REQUIRED.