B 26-0233 — Petition Administration Clarification Amendment Act of 2025

ENGROSSEDENROLLED ORIGINAL AANACT BILL______________________ 3 26-233 5 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 7 ______________________ 9 To amend 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.

toBE prohibitIT anyoneENACTED fromBY alteringTHE signerCOUNCIL informationDISTRICT providedOF byCOLUMBIA, theThat petitionthis signer,act exceptmay inbe casescited whereas the signer“Petition requestsAdministration assistanceClarification inAmendment signingAct theof petition2026”. 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.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the “Petition Administration Clarification Amendment Act of 2025”.

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

ENGROSSED ORIGINAL (C) A new subparagraph (D) is added to read 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 (b) Section 16 (D.C.

(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.

ENGROSSED ORIGINAL (1) Subsection (f) is amended by adding a new paragraph (3A) 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;”.

“(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.

4.3.

5.4.

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 a 30-day period of congressional review as ENROLLED ORIGINAL provided in section 602(c)(2)602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat.

Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(2)).1-206.02(c)(1)).

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