In 2023, $12.95 million was expended on signature drives for seven citizen-initiated ballot measures, including six that voters will decide on Nov. 7. Earlier in 2023, voters decided on a ballot initiative in Oklahoma. The average cost for the signature drives amounted to $1.85 million, ranging from $75,341 for Oklahoma State Question 820 to $6.65 million for Ohio Issue 1.
An initiative is a proposed law that requires signatures to secure a spot on the ballot for voters to decide. Requirements are different from state to state, such as the number of signatures required, circulation periods, and signature gatherer rules.
Ballotpedia uses two methods to measure the cost of a citizen-initiated ballot measure petition drive:
