B 26-0566 — Petition Administration Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2026

_________________________ENROLLED CouncilmemberORIGINAL AnitaANACT Bonds 4 6 A BILL ________ IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ______________________ To amend, on an emergency basis, the District of Columbia Election Code of 1955 to require candidate nomination petition affidavits to state that the circulator has not altered signer information on a petition after a signer has signed the petition;petition, prohibit anyone from altering signer information provided by the petition signer, except in cases where the signer requests assistance in signing the petition before signing the petition, require initiative, referendum, and recall petition affidavits to state that the circulator has not altered signer information on a petition after a signer has signed the petition, and prohibit anyone from altering signer information provided by the petition signer on an initiative, referendum, or recall petition, except in cases where the signer requests assistance in signing the petition before signing the petition.

to prohibit anyone from altering signer information provided by the petition signer, except in cases where the signer requests assistance in signing the petition before signing the petition;

to amend the Initiative, Referendum and Recall Procedures Act of 1979 to require initiative, referendum and recall petition affidavits to state that the circulator has not altered signer information on a petition after a signer has signed the petition;

and, to prohibit anyone from altering signer information provided by the petition signer, except in cases where the signer requests assistance in signing the petition.

Official Code § 1-1001.01 et seq.)seq.), is amended as follows:

(2) A new subsection (p-1)(n-1) is added to read as follows:

“(p-1)“(n-1) No person other than the petition signer may write, alter, correct, or clarifyclarify, on a nominating petition any information about the petition signer unless the signer requests assistance in writing, altering, correcting, or clarifying on the petitionpetition, any information about the signer before the signer affixes their signature.

ENROLLED ORIGINAL (1) Subsection (h) is amended by adding a new paragraph (3A) is added to read as follows:

“(3A) That the circulator of the petition sheet has not written, altered, corrected, clarified, or obscured information on the petition about the signer of the petition after the signer affixed their signature to the petition.”.petition;”.

“(h-1) No person other than the petition signer may write, alter, correct, or clarifyclarify, on a petition sheet for an initiative or referendum unless the signer requests assistance in writing, altering, correcting, or clarifying on the petitionpetition, any information about the petition signer before the signer affixes their signature.

“(3A) That the circulator of the petition sheet has not written, altered, corrected, clarified, or obscured information on the petition about the signer of the petition after the signer affixed their signature to the petition.”.petition;”.

“(f-1) No person other than the petition signer may write, alter, correct, or clarifyclarify, on a petition sheet for a recall petition unless the signer requests assistance in writing, altering, correctingcorrecting, ofor clarifying on the petitionpetition, any information about the petition signer before the signer affixes their signature.

3.

Fiscal impact statement.

The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report for the Petition Administration Clarification Amendment Act of 2026, passed on 2nd reading on January 6, 2026 (Enrolled version of Bill 26-233), as the fiscal impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat.

2038;

D.C.

Official Code § 1-301.47a).

Sec.

This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), and shall remain in effect no longer than 90- days, as provided for emergency acts of the Council of the District of Columbia in section 412(a) ENROLLED ORIGINAL of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat.

___________________________________ Chairman Council of the District of Columbia _________________________________ Mayor District of Columbia 3