Page 23 - Special District Handbook with Cover-Final

PHASE 6 – CERTIFICATION

• If the petition is found to have insufficient signatures, the district elections official will certify the results by preparing a certificate and notifying you, the proponent, of this result. No further action will be taken; but, the petition shall remain on file. A new petition on the same subject may be filed at a later date.

Elec. Code § 9309

• If the petition is found to have sufficient signatures, the district elections official will certify the results by preparing a certificate. You, the proponent will be notified of this result. Elec. Code § 9309

• If the petition is found sufficient, the district elections official shall certify the results of the examination to the governing board of the district at its next regular meeting. Elec. Code § 9309

Who May Examine a Petition?

If a petition is found to be sufficient by the district elections official, proponents and

members of the public may not examine the petition. Gov’t § 6253.5

If a petition is found to be insufficient by the district elections official, the proponents whose names are listed on the Notice of Intention and the representatives of the proponents as may be designated by the proponents in writing must be allowed to examine the petition signatures in order to ascertain which signatures were disqualified

and the reasons therefor. Gov’t § 6253.5

NOTE: THIS RIGHT OF EXAMINATION IS NOT OTHERWISE AVAILABLE TO PROPONENTS OR TO THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL.

If the proponents examine the petition signatures, such examination shall begin no later than 21 days after certification of insufficiency. Gov’t § 6253.5

The district elections official shall preserve in his or her office all initiative or

referendum petitions filed for eight months after the results of the election for which the petition is qualified, or if no election is held, eight months after the district elections official’s final examination of the petition. Elec. Code § 17200

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