The following is copied from a BISC email of March 19, 2025:

Attacks on Ballot Initiative Signature Collection

In legislatures around the country, lawmakers are proposing higher or broader collection requirements, superfluous canvasser protocols, and tighter deadlines. Though bill sponsors and their proponents claim the demands are necessary to prevent petition fraud, they’re a thinly veiled effort to stymy ballot initiative efforts before voters have a chance to weigh in on an issue. Examples include:

• Arkansas Senate Bill 207 [Passed]
  • Requires canvassers to inform signers that petition fraud is a Class A misdemeanor. If the canvasser fails to do so, they can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor themself.
  • Sen. Jamie Scott (D-North Little Rock) named SB 207 and similar anti-initiative proposals as being a form of voter suppression not unlike the literacy tests and poll taxes that historically targeted marginalized communities.
• Florida House Bill 1205
  • Requires canvassers to be Florida residents, clear a criminal background check, and complete a training provided by the state.
  • Petitions would have to be turned in within 10 days of signature (down from 30 days currently) or face significant fines ranging from $50 to $100 for each day late.
  • Creates a complicated signature verification process for petitions which would burden election offices.
• Missouri House Bill 575
  • Should a judge order a change that substantially alters the content of the official ballot title, all signatures collected prior to the change would be invalidated.
  • Requires that signature collectors be U.S. citizens, a Missouri resident or physically present in the state at least 30 consecutive days prior to collection.
• Oklahoma Senate Bill 116
  • No more than 5% of the total number of signatures required could originate from any one county, effectively silencing electors from more populous areas including Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Norman.

The trend doesn’t end at signature collection; those attacking the ballot initiative process have also set their sights on other pre-Election Day opportunities including removal of signature cure periods, increased Attorney General scrutiny, and exorbitant fees.

The amended bill is going back to the Kansas Senate. This is the fourth try to ban RCV in Kansas.

Here is the story from The Topeka Capital-Journal.