For purposes of this chapter, the following term shall have the meaning ascribed herein: “Measure” means an amendment to the Mississippi Constitution proposed by a petition of qualified electors under Section 273, Mississippi Constitution of 1890. If any qualified elector of the state desires to initiate a proposed amendment to the Constitution of this state […]
Upon the filing of the ballot title and summary for an initiative measure in his office, the Secretary of State shall forthwith notify by certified mail return receipt requested, the person proposing the measure and any other individuals who have made written request for such notification of the exact language of the ballot title. The […]
If any person is dissatisfied with the ballot title or summary formulated by the Attorney General, he or she may, within five (5) days from the publications of the ballot title and summary by the office of the Secretary of State, appeal to the circuit court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County by […]
When the ballot title and summary are finally established, the Secretary of State shall file the instrument establishing it with the proposed measure and transmit a copy thereof by certified mail return receipt requested, to the person proposing the measure and to any other individuals who have made written request for such notification. Thereafter such […]
The person proposing an initiative measure shall print blank petitions upon single sheets of paper of good writing quality not less than eight and one-half (8 1/2) inches in width and not less than fourteen (14) inches in length. Each sheet shall have a full, true and correct copy of the proposed measure referred to […]
The Secretary of State shall design the form each sheet of which shall contain the following: “WARNING EVERY PERSON WHO SIGNS THIS PETITION WITH ANY OTHER THAN HIS OR HER TRUE NAME, KNOWINGLY SIGNS MORE THAN ONE OF THESE PETITIONS RELATING TO THE SAME INITIATIVE MEASURE, SIGNS THIS PETITION WHEN HE OR SHE IS NOT […]
Before a person may file a petition with the Secretary of State, the petition must be certified by the circuit clerk of each county in which the petition was circulated. The circuit clerk shall certify the signatures of qualified electors of that county and shall state the total number of qualified electors signing the petition […]
The Secretary of State shall refuse to file any initiative petition being submitted upon any of the following grounds: That the petition is not in the form required by Section 23-17-19; That the petition clearly bears insufficient signatures; That one or more signatures appearing on the petition were obtained in violation of Section 23-17-17(2), Section […]
If the Secretary of State refuses to file an initiative petition when submitted to him for filing, the person submitting it for filing, within ten (10) days after his refusal, may apply to the Supreme Court for an order requiring the Secretary of State to bring the petition before the court and for a writ […]
If no appeal is taken from the refusal of the Secretary of State to file a petition within the time prescribed, or if an appeal is taken and the Secretary of State is not required to file the petition by the mandate of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of State shall destroy it.
The Secretary of State shall file with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate on the first day of the regular legislative session the complete text of each initiative for which a petition has been certified and filed with him. A constitutional initiative may be adopted or amended by a majority […]
The petition for a proposed initiative measure must be filed with the Secretary of State not less than ninety (90) days before the first day of the regular session of the Legislature at which it is to be submitted. A petition is valid for a period of twelve (12) months.
Whenever the Legislature rejects a measure submitted to it by initiative petition and adopts an amendment to the measure proposed by initiative petition, then the Secretary of State shall give the measure adopted by the Legislature the same number as that borne by the initiative measure followed by the letter “A.” Such measure so designated […]
For a measure designated by him as “Alternative Measure No._______________A,” the Secretary of State shall obtain from the Attorney General a ballot title in the manner provided by Section 23-17-9. The ballot title therefor shall be different from the ballot title of the measure in lieu of which it is proposed, and shall indicate, as […]
Except in the case of alternative voting on a measure initiated by petition, each measure submitted to the people for approval or rejection shall be so printed on the ballot, under the proper heading, that a voter can, by making one (1) choice, express his approval or rejection of such measure. Substantially the following form […]
If an initiative measure proposed to the Legislature has been rejected by the Legislature and an alternative measure is passed by the Legislature in lieu thereof, the serial numbers and ballot titles of both such measures shall be printed on the official ballots so that a voter can express separately two (2) preferences: First, by […]
No more than five (5) initiative proposals shall be submitted to the voters on a single ballot, and the first five (5) initiative proposals submitted to the Secretary of State with sufficient petitions shall be the proposals which are submitted to the voters.
An initiative approved by the electors shall take effect thirty (30) days from the date of the official declaration of the vote by the Secretary of State, unless the measure provides otherwise.
If any amendment to the Constitution proposed by initiative petition is rejected by a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon, no initiative petition proposing the same, or substantially the same, amendment shall be submitted to the electors for at least two (2) years after the date of the election on such amendment.
A pamphlet containing a copy of all initiative measures and legislative alternatives, including the ballot title and ballot summary, arguments or explanations for and against each measure and alternative and the fiscal analysis prepared by the chief legislative budget officer shall be compiled by the Secretary of State. The sponsor may prepare the argument or […]
