If not less than fifteen percent of the registered voters of any organized county in this state, based upon the total number of registered voters at the last preceding general election, shall on or before the first day of July in any general election year, file in the office of county auditor a petition requesting that the name of the county be changed, the county auditor shall at the next general election submit the question to the registered voters of the county on a separate printed ballot if using a hand counted paper ballot. The petition shall also authorize the county to appropriate and pay for all local government and state government costs associated with changing the name of the county. If the county uses an optical scan ballot, the question may be included on the general election ballot. The following question shall be submitted to the voters:

Shall the name of this county be changed to __________ and county funds be appropriated to pay for all local government and state government costs associated with the name change?

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______ Yes

______ No

All voters in favor of changing the name of the county and paying for all the local government and state government costs associated with the name change shall place either a cross or check mark in the square before the word Yes on the ballot. All voters who do not favor changing the name of the county and paying for all the local government and state government costs associated with the name change shall place either a cross or check mark in the square before the word No on the ballot. All local government and state government costs associated with changing the name of the county shall be paid by the county from county funds appropriated for that purpose before the change of the name of the county shall be effective.

Source: SL 1992, ch 51, § 1; SL 2015, ch 57, § 4; SL 2016, ch 43, § 2.