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1. What are Citizen-Initiated City Charter Amendments and Ordinance Initiatives?

Amendments or Ordinances proposed by members of the public via a citizen-circulated petition for signatures and submitted to the City Clerk for certification and placement on the ballot. Qualifying petitions appear on the ballot for voter approval in either a Primary or General Election.

2. Do organizers have to create their own petitions?

No. The City Clerk’s Office has blank petition forms available for circulation; organizers may also create their own sheets, in compliance with State guidelines for petition forms. The type size, the substance of the proposal that appears on the petition; the proposal summary that appears on the signature side of the petition, and the manner in which the proposal language is affixed to the petition are solely the responsibility of the petition sponsor. Petition sponsors are encouraged to seek legal counsel with respect to the initiative petition drive and Michigan election law requirements.

For additional information on petition format, please review the Michigan Secretary of State bulletin on filing statewide petitions (PDF). The format and style requirements for local petitions are the same.

3. Are there specific rules regarding who may sign a petition?

Yes. All signers must be registered voters in the City of Taylor at the time of signing.

4. Are there rules for circulators?

Yes. Circulators must ensure that all five columns are completed by each petition signer and they must witness each signature. Petition sheets may not be left unattended. A circulator or a petition signer cannot sign for another person. The circulator must complete the circulator’s certificate after collecting signatures. A certificate that is signed and dated prior to circulation is invalid.

5. How do I file a citizen-initiated Charter Amendment or Ordinance Initiative?

Petitions for local issues within the City of Taylor (e.g. Charter amendment or City ordinance initiative) are filed in-person with the City Clerk. Due to the time required to file and accept citizen-initiated petitions, a scheduled appointment to file is requested. Please call 734.374.1475 or email stripp@ci.taylor.mi.us.

6. What are the requirements to file a Citizen-Initiated City Charter Amendment?

At the time of filing, the petition must appear on its face to meet the number of required signatures (partial or piece-meal filings will not be accepted) and comply with State guidelines. The total number of signatures collected must equal or exceed 5 percent of registered voters in the City at the time petitions are filed. Current voter registration numbers can be obtained by contacting the City Clerk’s Office during business hours or emailing stripp@ci.taylor.mi.us. At the time of filing, petition sheets will be counted and numbered and a cursory review of each sheet will take place in front of the petition submitter to determine that the filing appears to be complete. A receipt will be provided. *If the petition contains the signatures of 20% or more of the persons residing in and registered to vote in the city as of the date when they signed it, and the petition requests submission of the proposal at a special election, the city clerk, within 90 days after the date of the filing of the petition, shall call a special election to be held on the next regular election date that is not less than 120 days after the petition was filed.

7. Where are signatures checked?

Signatures are checked and recorded electronically by the City Clerk’s Office via the State of Michigan’s QVF (Qualified Voter File) system. In the case of duplicate signatures, (i.e. multiple signatures by the same registered voter) both the original signature and all duplicates will be discarded.

8. How long are Charter Amendment signatures valid once collected?

Signatures dated more than one year prior to the filing of a Charter amendment petition will not be counted.

9. When do Citizen-Initiated City Charter Amendments and Citizen-Initiated Ordinances petitions need to be submitted before appearing on the ballot?

In accordance with Michigan Election Law, the filing deadlines are two weeks prior to the 12th Tuesday of the Primary or General Election (MCL 168.646a). Petitions can be submitted anytime up to the final deadline. However, filing on the legal deadline may not allow enough time for certification for the upcoming election! (See below).

10. How long does it take to certify a Citizen-Initiated Petition?

By law, the City Clerk has up to 45 days to certify a citizen-initiated petition. To ensure that the initiative will appear on the next available election date, the City Clerk’s Office recommends that petitions be turned in at least 45 days in advance of the final certification deadline.

11. Will supplemental filings be accepted if additional signatures are determined to be needed after the filing is checked against the QVF?

Supplemental signatures will be accepted, if necessary, up to the final filing deadline for the upcoming election. However, no supplemental signature(s) will be accepted if it is dated more than 1 year after the first qualifying signature in the original filing (i.e. no rolling off old signatures to add new ones). In addition, supplemental petitions must meet the same State guidelines as the original filing.

12. How quickly will supplemental filings be checked?

The City Clerk’s Office will make best efforts to check supplemental filings within the original 45-day certification period, and as quickly as possible, but depending on the number of supplements needed and the number of additional signatures filed, additional time may be required. It is recommended that a significant buffer be submitted at the time of the original filing to prevent the need for supplemental signatures late in the process.

13. What are the signature requirements for Citizen-Initiated Ordinances?

8 percent of the votes cast for the Office of Mayor in the last Mayoral Election, but in no case less than two thousand (2,000).