(1) Petitions to initiate the adoption, amendment, or repeal of a home rule charter, including the formation of a new charter commission, shall be printed on pages eight and one-half inches wide by eleven inches long, with a margin of two inches at the top for binding; the sheets for signature shall have their ruled lines numbered consecutively and shall be attached to a complete copy of what is proposed, printed in plain block letters no smaller than the impression of eight-point type. Petitions may consist of any number of sections composed of sheets arranged as provided in this section. Each petition shall designate by name and address not less than three nor more than five registered electors who shall represent the signers thereof in all matters affecting the same. No such petition shall be printed, published, or otherwise circulated in a municipality until the clerk has approved it as to form only, and the clerk shall assure that the petition contains only the matters required by this part 2 and contains no extraneous material. The clerk shall approve or disapprove such form within five working days of submission. All such petitions shall be prenumbered serially, and the circulation of any petition described by this part 2 by any medium other than personally by a circulator is prohibited.
(2) Any disassembly of the petition which has the effect of separating the affidavits from the signatures shall render the petition invalid and of no force and effect. Prior to the time of filing, the persons designated in the petition to represent the signers shall attach the sheets containing the signatures and affidavits together, which shall be bound in convenient volumes together with the sheets containing the signatures accompanying the same.
Source: L. 84: Entire section added, p. 833, § 5, effective April 25.