7 U.S.C. § 7446 — Referenda

(a) Initial referendum: (1) Within 30 months after an order first takes effect under section 7443(b)(3), the Secretary must hold a vote among producers who, during a representative period the Secretary sets, were engaged in producing canola or rapeseed, to find out whether the order should continue. (2) As much as practical, the Secretary must give broad advance public notice of the vote — through newspapers, county newsletters, electronic media, and press releases, plus notices posted at state and county cooperative extension offices and county Consolidated Farm Service Agency offices, and other means the order specifies, all without spending money on advertising. The notice must cover when the vote will happen, registration and voting requirements, absentee voting rules, and other relevant information. (3) The order continues only if the Secretary finds that at least a majority of the producers who voted approved it. (4) If a majority of voters don't approve continuing it, the Secretary must stop collecting assessments within 180 days after the vote and end the order in an orderly way as soon as practical. (b) Additional referenda: (1)(A) After the initial vote, the Secretary must hold more votes, as described in (C), if a representative group of producers asks. (B) A representative group means 10 percent or more of the producers who, during a representative period the Secretary sets, were engaged in producing canola or rapeseed. (C) Each additional vote is held among all producers from a representative period, to find out whether they favor ending or suspending the order. (2) If the Secretary finds that a majority of voters favor suspending or ending the order, the Secretary must stop collecting assessments within 180 days after that finding, and must suspend or end the order in an orderly way as soon as practical afterward. (3)(A) Starting 5 years after a referendum under this subchapter, and every 5 years after that, the Secretary must give canola and rapeseed producers a chance to request another vote. (B)(i) The Secretary must let a producer request a reconfirmation vote in person, at a county cooperative extension office or county Consolidated Farm Service Agency office, during a period the Secretary sets, or (ii) by mail instead; the Secretary may provide mail-in request forms. (C) At least 60 days before the in-person request period ends, the Secretary must publish a notice in the Federal Register, and the Board must give producers written notice, explaining their right to an additional vote, the voting procedure, its purpose, and how and by when to request one. The Secretary must also take whatever other action is needed to make sure producers know about this opportunity. (D) After requests come in, the Secretary must determine as soon as practical whether enough producers requested a vote, and take the steps needed to hold it under paragraph (1). (E) Once the Secretary determines a representative group of producers (as described in (1)(B)) requested the vote, it must be held within 1 year. (c) Procedures: (1) The Board must reimburse the Secretary, from assessments it has collected, for the Secretary's expenses running any activity required under this section. (2) Each vote runs for a reasonable time, not more than 3 days, set by the Secretary; producers intending to vote must certify they were engaged in producing canola, rapeseed, or canola or rapeseed products during the representative period, and are given a chance to vote at the same time. (3) The Secretary decides where votes are held. On request, the Secretary must provide absentee mail ballots, in the manner the Secretary prescribes.