HB 702: Representative Democracy Enforcement Act; enact

Georgia currently has no statewide direct initiative or referendum process letting citizens put proposed laws or constitutional amendments directly on the ballot through petitions. This bill, called the Representative Democracy Enforcement Act, would build the entire legal framework for that process, but only if voters separately ratify a constitutional amendment authorizing it. The bill creates a legislative Direct Initiative and Referendum Committee to review petitions for proper form, sets a $1,000 filing fee, requires circulators to be registered Georgia voters with no felony record, and gives petition sponsors one year to gather signatures. It requires public hearings, fiscal notes for costly proposals, and Secretary of State review with cure and appeal procedures through the Superior Court of Fulton County. It also creates a felony penalty for interfering with signature verification, applies campaign finance rules to petition sponsors, and bars public funds from being spent on ballot question advocacy. The law would take effect January 1, 2027 only if the constitutional amendment is ratified; otherwise it repeals itself automatically.

• Creates a new legal process and detailed rules for citizens to use direct initiative petitions and referendums to change Georgia statutes or the constitution.
• Establishes a 12-member Direct Initiative and Referendum Committee of legislators to review and approve petitions for proper form before circulation.
• Requires the Secretary of State to review rejected petitions, offer a 45-day cure period, and allows appeals to the Superior Court of Fulton County.
• Sets a $1,000 filing fee, a one-year signature collection window, and bars paying circulators on a per-signature basis.
• Creates a felony penalty (1 to 10 years in prison or up to a $100,000 fine) for impeding or intimidating people during the signature verification process.
• Applies Georgia's campaign finance disclosure law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 5 of Title 21) to petition sponsors and bans spending public funds to support or oppose a ballot question.

Georgia voters who want to petition for new laws or constitutional amendments, circulators who collect signatures, the Secretary of State's office, the General Assembly's appointed committee members, county election officials, and any business, campaign committee, or nonprofit that funds a petition effort.

If the required constitutional amendment is also approved, Georgians would gain a formal way to bypass the legislature and put proposed laws or constitutional changes directly to a statewide vote, with specific rules on funding, signature collection, verification, and legal challenges along the way.

• Section 1 (new O.C.G.A. § 21-2-700) states the Act is enacted under Article III, Section XI, Paragraph III and Article X, Section I, Paragraph III of the Georgia Constitution.
• Section 21-2-702 lists required contents of every petition, including full text of the proposal, petitioner and circulator information, and disclosure of financial backers.
• Section 21-2-704 creates the Direct Initiative and Referendum Committee and gives the Secretary of State 30 days to approve or reject a petition's form, with a 45-day cure period.
• Section 21-2-705 sets a $1,000 filing fee before the Secretary of State issues official petition forms.
• Section 21-2-706 gives petition sponsors one year to collect signatures and requires circulators to be registered voters without felony records or fraud-related misdemeanors.
• Section 21-2-707 requires mailed notice to registered voters and public hearings once 50 percent of required signatures are collected.
• Section 21-2-708 sets a felony penalty for interfering with signature verification and creates court appeal procedures for rejected certifications.
• Section 2 makes the entire Act contingent on voters ratifying a related constitutional amendment, effective January 1, 2027, with automatic repeal if the amendment fails.

1. 2025-03-06House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-04House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-03House Hopper (House)

• Shea Roberts (D, HD-52)Primary sponsor
• Saira Draper (D, HD-90)
• Sam Park (D, HD-107)
• Long Tran (D, HD-80)
• Lisa Campbell (D, HD-35)

• direct democracy
• ballot initiatives
• election law
• Secretary of State
• constitutional amendment