Ballot measure signature costs, 2023
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Ballotpedia's cost-per-required-signature (CPRS) report analyzes the signature-gathering costs of ballot initiative campaigns. In 2023, seven citizen-initiated measures were on the ballot—one on March 7, and six on November 7.
Proponents of these initiatives conducted initiative petition signature drives, and the initiatives qualified to appear on the state's statewide ballot. Requirements differ from state to state, such as the number of signatures required, circulation period length, and other requirements.
CPRS is calculated as a campaign's total spending on signature gathering relative to the number of valid signatures required. You can read more about how we measure signature gathering costs below.
Campaigns for these seven citizen-initiated measures on the ballot in 2023 spent a combined $12.95 million on signature gathering. The average petition drive cost was $1.85 million, and the average CPRS was $9.38.
Measuring initiative petition signature drive costs
Campaigns spend funds to collect signatures. Campaigns hire signature-gathering companies, utilize unpaid volunteers, or use a mix of both. States have different ballot measure signature requirements and different population sizes, resulting in varied signature drive costs across states.
This report uses two ways to measure the cost of an initiative or veto referendum petition drive:
- According to the total cost of gathering the required signatures to put an initiative on the ballot
- According to the total cost divided by the number of signatures required to qualify the measure for the ballot or cost per required signature (CPRS)
The cost per required signature (CPRS) measures the costs based on the number of signatures required. CPRS allows us to compare the signature costs to get an initiative on the ballot within a state and between states. If a campaign spends $1 million on its petition drive and the state's signature requirement is 100,000, the CPRS is $10.00. In other words, the campaign spent $10.00 per required signature to qualify the initiative for the ballot.
Analysis, averages, and highlights
Total costs and averages
- For elections in 2023, seven initiatives were certified for the ballot in three states. In total, $12,953,417.17 was spent to collect signatures for these initiatives. Cumulatively, the campaigns needed to collect 1,028,219 valid signatures.
- The average total petition cost for 2023 was $1,850,488.17.
- The average cost per required signature in 2023 was $9.38.
- During odd-numbered years from 2013 to 2023, an average of 4 initiatives appeared on the ballot. The average number of states with initiatives on the ballot in odd years was between two and three.
- Ohio Issue 1, an initiative to establish a constitutional right to abortion, was the measure with the most expensive signature drive at $6.65 million. Sponsors of Issue 1 hired Advanced Micro Targeting to collect signatures for the petition to qualify the measure for the ballot. A total of $6,650,000.00 was spent to collect the 413,488 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $16.08.
- Ohio Issue 2, a marijuana legalization initiative, was the measure with the highest CPRS at $16.28. Sponsors of Issue 2 hired Advanced Micro Targeting to collect signatures for the petition to qualify the measure for the ballot. A total of $4,056,250.00 was spent to collect the 249,092 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $16.28.
Signature drive costs in 2023
| State | Number of initiatives | Cumulative cost | Average cost per drive | Average CPRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | 4 | $2,171,826.17 | $542,956.54 | $8.13 |
| Ohio | 2 | $10,706,250.00 | $5,353,125.00 | $16.18 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $75,341.00 | $75,341.00 | $0.79 |
Signature costs by state
The tables below shows the number of required signatures, total petition drive cost, petition companies, and CPRS for each initiative in a given state.
Maine
- See also: Maine 2023 ballot measures
| Ballot Measure | Topic | Petition Companies | Cost | Signatures | CPRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Question 1, Voter Approval of Borrowing Above $1 Billion by State Entities and Electric Cooperatives Initiative (2023) | Energy | Second Street Associates | $905,000.00 | 67,682 | $13.37 |
| Maine Question 2, Prohibit Foreign Spending in Elections Initiative (2023) | Campaign finance | Ballot Access Management | $254,388.02 | 63,067 | $4.03 |
| Maine Question 3, Pine Tree Power Company Initiative (2023) | Energy | Ballot Access Management | $137,826.15 | 63,067 | $2.19 |
| Maine Question 4, "Right to Repair Law" Vehicle Data Access Requirement Initiative (2023) | Business regulation | JEF Associates | $874,612.00 | 67,682 | $12.92 |
Ohio
- See also: Ohio 2023 ballot measures
| Ballot Measure | Topic | Petition Companies | Cost | Signatures | CPRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Issue 1, Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative (2023) | Abortion | Advanced Micro Targeting | $6,650,000.00 | 413,488 | $16.08 |
| Ohio Issue 2, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2023) | Marijuana | Advanced Micro Targeting | $4,056,250.00 | 249,092 | $16.28 |
Oklahoma
- See also: Oklahoma 2023 ballot measures
| Ballot Measure | Topic | Petition Companies | Cost | Signatures | CPRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State Question 820, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (March 2023) | Marijuana | Oklahoma Strong Consulting | $75,341.00 | 94,911 | $0.79 |
Comparison of signature gathering costs in odd-numbered years
By total cost
The chart below shows the number of initiatives, the number of states featuring initiatives, the total cost of signature drives for the year, and the average total cost of a signature drive in each year.
During odd-numbered years from 2013 to 2023, an average of 4 initiatives appeared on the ballot. The average number of states with initiatives on the ballot in odd years was between two and three. The average total cost of signature gathering each year was about $5.5 million and the average cost per signature drive was about $1.18 million. The average CPRS across odd years from 2013 to 2023 was $8.34.
| Year | # of initiatives | # of states with initiatives on the ballot | Cumulative cost | Average signature drive cost | Average CPRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | 3 | $12,953,417.17 | $1,850,488.17 | $9.38 |
| 2021 | 4 | 2 | $5,378,261.60 | $1,344,565.40 | $14.74 |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | $1,397,177.88 | $698,588.94 | $2.69 |
| 2017 | 4 | 2 | $6,855,998.82 | $1,713,999.71 | $15.40 |
| 2015 | 5 | 4 | $4,874,720.41 | $974,944.08 | $3.57 |
| 2013 | 3 | 2 | $1,492,247.00 | $497,415.67 | $4.24 |
| AVERAGES | 4 | 2 | $5,491,970.48 | $1,180,000.33 | $8.34 |
Factors affecting signature costs
- See also: Laws governing the initiative process
States have different requirements and restrictions for signature gathering, which can affect how expensive an initiative signature petition effort is. The total petition drive cost depends on the factors that can make a petition effort more or less expensive, including the population of the state and the state's signature requirements. This measurement does not indicate how difficult running a signature petition campaign is in a given state relative to other states. Requirements based on voter turnout, for example, can result in different petition drive costs due to a state's population. In 2016, the average cost of a successful initiative petition drive in California was $2.9 million. In Oklahoma, the average cost was about $870,000. Initiatives in California, however, required more than four times the number of signatures.
The cost-per-required-signature (CPRS) controls for the state's signature requirements and shows the cost for each signature needed for qualifying the measure for the ballot. This second measurement is a better indication of how difficult a signature drive is in a given state relative to other states. Returning to California and Oklahoma in 2016, the average CPRS in California was $6.20 and the average CPRS in Oklahoma was $9.59. However, the average total petition drive cost was $2.9 million in California and $870,000 in Oklahoma.
Higher signature requirements are an example of why initiative petition costs may be higher in one state compared to others. Other policies that can affect the cost of a petition campaign include:
- Distribution requirements - Collecting a large number of signatures in a few populous areas is more efficient than collecting a small number of signatures from multiple less-populated areas.
- Pay-per-signature bans - Paying signature gatherers by signature is likely a cost-efficient way to fund signature-gathering efforts.
- Restrictions on circulators - Restricting who can collect signatures may decrease the number of people available for signature gathering.
- Initiative petition circulation periods - Shorter signature gathering periods may increase signature drive costs.
See also
2023 ballot measures
CPRS reports
- Ballot measures cost per required signatures analysis
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2022
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2021
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2020
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2019
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2018
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