Anti-gay-marriage petition drive fraud

[paineinthearse]

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051005/NEWS/510050631/1116

Oct 5, 2005

Signature trickery hearing set

Anti-gay-marriage petition drive fraud

By Bronislaus B. Kush and Kathleen A. Shaw TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

BOSTON— The state Legislature’s Joint Committee on Election Laws will hold a hearing later this month to investigate charges that contractors hired to gather signatures for a 2006 ballot initiative that seeks to make it easier to purchase wine at supermarkets used bait-and-switch tactics and other trickery to get voters to sign a petition that would ban same-sex marriages in the Bay State. “For the second time in four years, out-of-state groups have hijacked the initiative petition process by paying signature gatherers by the signature and using blatantly deceptive tactics to mislead voters,” said state Sen. Edward M. Augustus Jr. of Worcester, the Senate co-chairman of the panel. “This is a perversion of our democratic process and it must be stopped.” The hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Statehouse.

The decision to hold the hearing came after the state attorney general’s office, the Telegram & Gazette and others began receiving complaints from residents complaining they were duped into signing petitions aimed at reversing the 2003 ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court allowing same-sex marriages. Complaints continued to flow yesterday into the newspaper and to local and state election officials from irate individuals who believe they were tricked into signing the anti-gay wedding initiative. State officials said complaints have been reported from Worcester, Natick, Brookline and Danvers. The T&G has received some phone calls and e-mails about it from throughout Central Massachusetts. “We must get to the bottom of these allegations and enact legislation to protect voters and hold those who perpetrate fraud accountable,” Mr. Augustus, a Democrat, said.

The KnowThyNeighbor.org organization, which also has raised the issue of possible fraud in how signatures were being collected for the anti-same sex marriage petition, is urging those with complaints to contact Nicholas Paras at the state attorney general’s office. Mr. Paras contacted KnowThyNeighbor.org to get its assistance in investigating the allegations, according to Tom Lang of Manchester-by-the-Sea, a founder of the organization. Complainants said they thought they were signing a petition to allow more supermarkets to sell wine. They said they were asked to sign the same petition a second time, but instead signed a petition circulated by VoteOnMarriage.org, a group seeking a constitutional amendment that would clearly define marriage as an act between a man and a woman.

Officials believe the allegations do not involve efforts to collect signatures in the parishes of the Diocese of Worcester. That petition drive is being coordinated by local parishes through Catholic Citizenship and the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. KnowThyNeighbor.org supports same-sex marriage and has been monitoring the activities of the VoteOnMarriage drive. KnowThyNeighbor announced that it would post on the Web the names and addresses of all who sign the petition after the petitions are certified and become a matter of public record in mid-December.

<snip>

Those who want to lodge complaints with the state should contact Mr. Paras, a civil investigator with the AG’s office, 1 Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108; 1-617-727-2200, ext. 2883, or by e-mail at [e-mail].

edit - Ed Augustus is a good man, was Jim McGovern's chief of staff who ran for the seat vacated when Godis decided to run for sheriff.

[Ian David]

1. This is their standard operating tactic

In a previous campaign (Ohio?) people thought they were signing a petition to ban the use of horse meat in dogfood.

When the signature list was published online, many people realized they'd supposedly signed the thing without realizing it.

I'm on the way out the door right now, so I am afraid I don't have time to "do my homework," so if anyone wants to, please feel free to jump in with confirmation, rebuttal or clarification in case I am to one degree or another wrong.

[paineinthearse]

2. Don't Sign the ANTI-GAY petition!

by email

MASSACHUSETTS GAY & LESBIAN POLITICAL CAUCUS
Your Professional State House Lobbyists

Don't Sign the ANTI-GAY petition!

Anti-gay groups are gathering signatures on an initiative petition to repeal the right of same-sex couples to marry. If they garner enough signatures, the measure will move to the legislature in 2006. If only 25% of legislators (50 votes) support the amendment in 2 legislative sessions, it will advance to the ballot.

Our opponents have hired a paid signature gathering firm from California and are paying over $1 per signature. Many paid signature gatherers are using "Bait & Switch" tactics to trick voters into signing the anti-gay petition. While we anticipate they will gather the 120,000 signatures they're seeking, we do not want supporters of same-sex marriage to be tricked into helping them. And we want to educate voters that this new measure is a mean-spirited proposal that will harm gay families across Massachusetts.

MGLPC organized a Decline-To-Sign (DTS) campaign in 2001 to keep another anti-gay petition off the ballot. Our "Truth Squads" were very effective in countering the signature gatherer's misleading tactics. We persuaded thousands of people not to sign.

MGLPC is considering another Decline-to-Sign campaign. For Tips and Fact Sheets on how you can participate: Tips... Fact Sheet... And use the "Forward Email" link below to forward this email to everyone you think might be willing to help or to not sign.

How You Can Help

Ask friends, family and colleagues to NOT sign the "Marriage" petition. Ask them to forward this email on to others asking them to Not sign as well.
If you see paid signature gatherers signing voters up on a petition about "Selling Wine in Stores", please pay attention to whether they are tricking voters into also signing the anti-gay petition. If they are, please let us know asap (617-262-1565) AND please complain immediately to the management of the store whose property they are working on. (Tell us the date, time, location and how to get in touch with you.)
Check out the MGLPC website for more information about volunteering in a Decline to Sign campaign. Join DTS campaign

MGLPC is committed to keeping this latest anti-gay marriage petition off of the ballot. We've done that successfully in the past and intend to do everything we can to do so again. Please help us keep up the fight. Contribute to MGLPC. (www.mglpc.org/contribute.php)

Arline Isaacson & Gary Daffin
Co-Chairs
Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus

[paineinthearse]

3. Ed Augustus

Ed introduced Deval Patrick tonight. Spoke with him afterwards, thanked him for his investigation.

His being there may indicate something (hint hint wink wink).