Today, Chief Petitioner Gregg Coodley submitted 30,520 signatures for Petition ID No. PDX 14.  PDX 14 has the ballot title caption “Provides City-funded health insurance for Portland’s public school children.”  The petition is sponsored by WhyNotPortland and is intended for the November 4, 2008 general election ballot.

City Code sets the signature requirement for initiative petitions at 9 percent of the number of electors registered in the Portland on the date of the municipal primary election immediately preceding the date the prospective petition is filed.  As the prospective petition was filed prior to the May 2008 election, this number is 27,255 (9% of City of Portland voters registered as of the May 2006 primary election).

The Auditor has 30 days to verify the signatures (June 26, 2008).  The Auditor will first conduct circulator certification per OAR 165-014-0270, and then Multnomah County Elections will verify elector signatures.  If at least the minimum numbers of elector signatures are verified to be valid, the Auditor will certify the measure to Multnomah County Elections for the November 4, 2008 general election ballot. 

The Auditor will also file the initiative with City Council.  Per City Code Section 2.04.100, City Council may choose to adopt an ordinance which codifies the intiative measure.  Such an ordinance would void the initiative petition.  Council may also choose to refer a competing measure to the voters no later than the 30^th day after signatures were submitted to the Auditor (June 26, 2008). 

The complete text of the ballot measure and charter language are available on PortlandOnline: http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=44419&a=153057