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SUNNY Temp: 84 °F Wind: W at 8 mph Tuesday, June 4, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend June 4, 2002 Bradbury warns voters about petitions Oregon’s Secretary of State says signature gatherers sometimes use misleading information By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune Your signature may be going for as much as $5 a pop these days when it comes to state initiative petitions. And according to Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, some paid signature gatherers are using sneaky, misleading and downright illegal means to dupe voters and nonvoters alike into signing petitions in support of ballot initiatives. "June is the signature-gathering month," Bradbury said during a visit to Medford on Monday. "We’re basically launching a very aggressive effort against signature gatherers committing fraud." With Attorney General Hardy Myers, Bradbury is spearheading a voter-education effort about initiative petition fraud. Bradbury will stop in several Oregon cities this week to talk about the plan. A hundred and eighty-three initiatives have been proposed to date for the November general election ballot. The state has approved the wording of 43, giving backers the go-ahead to gather signatures in an attempt to qualify the initiatives for the ballot. The deadline to file signatures with the state Elections Division is July 5, and Bradbury said people hired to get names on petitions will be coming out in force. Although the majority of signature gatherers follow the rules, some use illegal tactics to obtain as many signatures as possible, Bradbury said. A name on a petition is worth from $1 to $5to people paid to collect signatures, he said Bradbury said it is unclear how many signature gatherers are paid and how many are volunteers. But paid signature-gathering is big, he said. "You’ve got a heck of an incentive." More than 100 reports of alleged signature-gathering fraud have been investigated by the state Attorney General’s Office since 1990. More than 40 people have been prosecuted and found guilty of petition-related crimes. Some of the problems voters could encounter this summer include signature gatherers who make misleading statements to solicit names. Some will attach opinionated or misleading statements to the petitions in an attempt to sway prospective signers. Others tell people they have to sign a petition on several pages. They’re actually having the voters sign petitions on different issues without their knowledge, Bradbury said. Others discourage signers from adding their address to the petition. Bradbury said that just makes it easier for forgers, who have only to copy a name rather than a name and an address. Also, some signature gatherers refuse to let the person look at the petition’s summary sheet describing the initiative if they’re making up information. He urged people to do the following before putting their name to paper: Read the entire petition form from top to bottom. If you have doubts about what the petition is for, ask to read the text of the initiative. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. If you are asked to sign more than once, look at both the top and bottom of the new page the gatherer puts before you. Your signature is required only once on a petition. To report suspicious behavior, call the elections division at 503-986-1518. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S