The Oklahoma State Constitution, the Charter of The City of Oklahoma City and state law give residents the power to file initiative peitions about legislative issues. With the required number of legally sufficient signatures, the initiative triggers a citywide public vote.

To start the process, a resident files a copy of the petition with the City Clerk. The petitioner then has 90 days to collect the required number of legally sufficient signatures from registered Oklahoma City voters – equal to or greater than 25 percent of the number of votes cast in the previous mayoral election.

Factors that make a signature legally sufficient include the signer’s address (including city and state or zip code) on the signature page, and information about the person circulating the page for signatures.

After the petitioner files the signatures with the City Clerk, the Clerk publishes a Notice of Filing. It allows 10 days for any Oklahoma City resident to protest the petition. The Clerk sets a hearing date for the protest and makes a ruling, which can be appealed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. 

Until Oklahoma City's next Mayoral election in 2026, petitions must have at least 15,196 legally sufficient signatures to trigger a public vote.  The City Council chooses an available election date from the Oklahoma State Election Board's approved list. 

Petitions become law with a simple majority vote in the citywide election. 

• Guidelines for OKC Initiative Petition Process Pursuant to 34 O.S. 1951, §§ 1, Et Sec.
• Charter of The City of Oklahoma City and The Oklahoma State Constitution
• Oklahoma State Statutes Title 34