Office of the City Secretary
Petitions
INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM AND RECALL PETITIONS
1. What kind of petitions are authorized under the City of Houston Charter?
The City of Houston Charter (the “City Charter”) authorizes direct legislation by the public through the initiative and referendum petition process. The City Charter also authorizes the removal from office of any holder of public office in the City by recall petition.
Initiative is a procedure under which local voters directly propose (initiate) legislation in the form of a City ordinance. Referendum is a procedure under which local voters can repeal existing ordinances that the City Council declines to rescind by its own action. Recall is a process by which local voters can remove a mayor or members of the city council before the expiration of their terms.
2. How many signatures are required for an initiative petition, referendum petition, and recall petition?
Article V, Section 10 of the City Charter requires that “the number of signatures required for the petitions provided for in Articles VII-a and VII-b of this Charter shall be calculated upon the greatest total vote cast for Mayor at any city general election held within the three years next preceding the date of the filing of such petition.”
Due to the City’s switch to four-year terms in 2015, the last mayoral election was in 2019; therefore, until the next municipal general election in November 2023, the City must rely on the total votes cate for Mayor in the November 2019 municipal general election, as provided in City of Houston canvass ordinance 2019-891.
Until the November 2023 municipal general election, each petition type requires the following number of signatures:
- Total Votes Cast for Mayor in City of Houston in November 2019 = 245,362
- Initiative Petition – 15 percent of total votes cast for Mayor in COH = 36,804.3
- Referendum Petition – 10 percent of total votes cast for Mayor in COH = 24,536.2
- Recall Petition – 25 percent of total votes cast for Mayor in COH = 61,340.5
3. What are the requirements for valid signatures on initiative, referendum, and recall petitions?
- Signer must be a “qualified voter” (i.e., registered voter) of the City of Houston
- Signature
- Signer’s printed name
- Signer’s residence address
- Date, month, and year of signature
- Signer’s date of birth or signer’s voter registration number
- The county of registration if the territory from which signatures must be obtained is in more than one county
- One of the following: 1) petition circulator affidavit as set out in Art. VII-a, § 3 of the City Charter (notarized) OR 2) alternate petition circulator affidavit (notarized) as set forth in § 2-3.1 of the City Code and available on the City Secretary’s website OR 3) acknowledgment for each signature before notary or other person qualified to take acknowledgments as provided by Art. IX, § 3 of the City Charter
- date of signature must not be earlier than 30 days prior to date petition is filed.
For more information on petition requirements, please visit:
4. Does the City have a standard form for a petition?
No, the City does not have a standard form for a petition. Please see Article VII-a and VII-b of the City Charter for petition form requirements.
CHARTER AMENDMENT PETITIONS
5. How many signatures need to be on a petition to amend the City of Houston Charter?
The Texas Local Government Code, Section 9.004 requires the submission of a petition signed by a number of qualified voters of the municipality equal to at least five percent of the number of qualified voters of the municipality or 20,000, whichever number is the smaller. For the City of Houston, the required number of signatures is 20,000 for a petition to amend the City Charter.
6. Does the City have a standard form for a petition?
No, the City does not have a standard form for a petition. Please see Chapter 9 of the Local Government Code for charter amendment petition requirements.
7. Where should I go to obtain more information about charter amendment petitions and their requirements?
- Signer must be a “qualified voter” (i.e., registered voter) of the City of Houston
- signature
- signer’s printed name
- signer’s date of birth or signer’s voter registration number
- the county of registration if the territory from which signatures must be obtained is in more than one county
- signer’s residence address
- date of signing
- date of signature must not be earlier than 180 days prior to date petition is filed.
For more information on charter amendment petition requirements, please visit:
