Ballot initiative mechanics in Idaho
This page covers Idaho's specific rules. For the general mechanics, see how ballot initiatives work. Idaho allows both citizen initiatives (new statutes) and referendums (challenges to laws the legislature has passed).
Idaho's process
A sponsor starts small: file a proposed petition with the Secretary of State carrying just 20 qualified electors' signatures. The Secretary of State sends the draft to the Attorney General, who has 20 working days to issue a Certificate of Review with recommended revisions. The sponsor then has 15 working days after receiving that certificate to file the measure for official ballot title assignment.
Since 2020, Idaho has required every initiative to address a single subject, replacing the state's earlier practice of allowing multi-subject petitions. Once ballot titles, a fiscal impact statement, and an approved petition form are issued, sponsors need signatures equal to at least 6 percent of the state's qualified electors statewide, and separately, at least 6 percent of registered voters in no fewer than 18 of Idaho's 35 legislative districts. Both parts of the test must be met. Over-collecting in friendly districts cannot make up for falling short elsewhere.
Referendum petitions use the same 6-percent-statewide-plus-18-districts standard as initiatives, but run on a different clock: they must be filed within 60 days of the legislative session's final adjournment, since a referendum directly answers a law just passed rather than building a new proposal from scratch.
Deadlines and numbers
- Statewide signature threshold: 6 percent of qualified electors (70,725 signatures for the 2026 cycle)
- Geographic distribution: 6 percent of registered voters in at least 18 of Idaho's 35 legislative districts
- Circulation window: 18 months after ballot titles and petition form are issued, or April 30 of the election year, whichever comes first
- Initiative filing deadline: no later than 4 months before the election
- Referendum filing deadline: within 60 days of the legislative session's final adjournment
- County/state signature verification: roughly 60 days for county clerks to certify results to the Secretary of State
Where to go
- Secretary of State, Initiatives and Constitutional Amendments: https://sos.idaho.gov/elections-division/ballot-initiatives/
- Idaho Initiative & Referendum Instructions: https://sos.idaho.gov/elections-division/idaho-initiative-referendum-instructions/
- Guidelines for Initiative Petition Circulators: https://sos.idaho.gov/elections-division/guidelines-for-initiative-petition-circulators/
Rules
Idaho's process starts with a light touch (just 20 signatures to open a petition) but layers on real hurdles from there: mandatory Attorney General review, a 2020-adopted single-subject rule, and a two-part signature test that requires organizing across at least half the state's legislative districts, not just its population centers.
The Idaho Legislature has repeatedly tried to raise these thresholds. A 2025 proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 101, would have raised the district requirement from 18 of 35 to all 35 districts. It cleared only a Senate committee vote and was not among the constitutional amendments referred to the November 2026 ballot. As of July 2026 the 18-of-35 standard remains current law, but this is a recurring legislative target and sponsors should recheck it each session.
This dossier found no filing fee for initiative or referendum petitions in Secretary of State materials, though it could not confirm affirmatively that none exists. For help organizing a signature drive, see /engage.