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Canvassers begin work on petition‑circulator guidance ahead of November filings
Summary
Staff outlined a proposed procedure for handling circulator challenges — including initial facial reviews, use of the qualified voter file, and requests for handwriting exemplars — and the board asked staff to return a checklist and best-practice guidance for the November agenda.
State canvassers directed staff to draft procedural guidance and best practices for handling petition‑circulator challenges ahead of the November filings.
Kazi, a bureau staffer, told the board the office will start with an initial intake and facial review, use the qualified voter file (QVF) to check registration and compare signatures, and request exemplars — such as a driver’s license or other documentation — when a signer is not found in QVF. “We would look it up in qualified voter file,” Kazi said. “If they're registered to vote in QVF, we can compare the signature… If they're not in QVF, then we contact and say provide a signature example.”
Staff emphasized timing constraints: the bureau has roughly a 50‑day window to process candidate filings and related challenges, and some statutory response windows are very short. “It is in statute as 7 days,” Kazi said when asked about the response deadline.
Board members asked whether campaigns should be asked to provide handwriting exemplars at filing. Staff said requiring exemplars would likely need a statutory change, but recommended posting best-practice guidance online to encourage campaigns that use paid or out‑of‑state circulators to provide exemplars or be prepared to supply them upon request. A board member said such publicly available guidance could create clarity for adjudicating disputes and reduce the number of contested petition sheets.
Staff said they will draft a procedure and send materials to board members ahead of the November agenda so the board can specify the steps staff should take when a challenge is submitted. If staff are unable to make a determination, they will present staff reports summarizing evidence and options for the board to decide.
