FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Springfield City Clerk received a referendum petition with approximately 2,346 signatures opposing the Oct. 13 decision to amend the City’s nondiscrimination ordinance. The City Clerk’s office will begin the process of certifying the petition, which includes validating the signatures. Citizens have the right through the referendum process to approve or reject at the polls any ordinance passed by the Council. In this case, petitioners are seeking to repeal the amendment to the nondiscrimination ordinance, which provides protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. The clerk’s office has 20 days to complete the certification process, which includes verifying signatures are those of registered voters residing in the Springfield City limits. The number of required signatures is 10% of the total number of votes cast in the most recent municipal election. In this case, that was 11,444 in April 2013. If the petition is certified, City Council must opt to either repeal the ordinance or send it to voters. If it goes to the voters, the amendment would be put on hold until the next municipal election in April 2015. If less than 1,144 signatures are certified, petitioners have an additional 10 days to obtain the additional signatures and submit the supplemental petition to the Clerk’s office. # # # For more information, contact: Cora Scott, Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement, 417-864-1009 (office) | 417-380-3352 (cell), [email protected]