| This bill includes changes to current law as proposed in the |
| final report of the Commission to Study Alternative Voting |
| Procedures, the Citizen Initiative Process and Minor Party Ballot |
| Access as created in Resolve 2005, chapter 127. This bill |
| requires payment to a person for circulating a petition for a |
| direct initiative to be itemized on required campaign finance |
| reports. This bill clarifies that contributions and expenditures |
| made for the purpose of supporting or opposing a citizen- |
| initiated referendum during the signature gathering phase are |
| required to be reported like other contributions and |
| expenditures. This bill also requires a report from the |
| Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices |
| regarding the reporting of campaign finances relative to direct |
| initiative campaigns. It requires a report from the Secretary of |
| State examining ways to improve the way the State provides |
| information to voters about referenda that will appear on the |
| ballot. This bill also directs the Secretary of State to work |
| with the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices |
| towards making information currently available about direct |
| initiative efforts and campaigns for or against those direct |
| initiatives or campaigns more accessible to the public by |
| providing links on the Secretary of State's or commission's |
| publicly accessible websites directing people to information |
| posted on the other agency's website. |
