(1) Not sooner than the 120th day and not later than the 70th day before a general election or the 68th day before a special election held on the date of any primary election at which a state measure is to be voted upon, any person may file with the Secretary of State an argument supporting or opposing the measure.
(2)(a) A person filing an argument under this section shall pay a fee of $1,200 to the Secretary of State when the argument is filed or may submit a petition in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State containing the signatures of 500 active electors. Each person signing the petition shall subscribe to a statement that the person has read and agrees with the argument.
(b) The signatures on each petition shall be verified by the county clerk or the Secretary of State.
(c) The Secretary of State by rule shall establish procedures for verifying whether a petition submitted under this subsection contains the required number of signatures of active electors.
(3) An argument filed under this section must be filed using the electronic filing system adopted by the Secretary of State under ORS 251.014.
(4) The Secretary of State by rule shall establish the size and length of arguments permitted under ORS 251.245 and this section, except that the length of an argument may not exceed 325 words. The size and length limitations shall be the same for arguments submitted under ORS 251.245 or this section.