Initiative and referendum; physical count of signatures; validation; effective date.

HB 1478 changes how Oklahoma verifies signatures for citizen-initiated bills and referendums. It requires the Secretary of State to exclude specific invalid signatures from counts, including those from nonresidents, unverified sheets, duplicate signatures, signatures without a printed line, and signatures not matching voter records. The bill also allows the Secretary to verify signatures while collections are still ongoing and permits purchasing necessary software without standard procurement rules. This law takes effect on November 1, 2025, directly affecting petitioners seeking to place measures on the ballot.