Bills take aim at voter fraud
Del. Robert H. Brink (D-Arlington) introduced two bills intended to protect voter referendums from fraud.
"Last year's referendum effort in Arlington taught us valuable lessons about weaknesses in the petition signature gathering process," Brink said in a statement.
One bill requests both the front and back of petitions identify the name and address of the petition circulator. The other legislation tightens the conflict-of-interest provisions in the state code regarding notaries public.
Two people have been charged with felonious voter fraud regarding the failed change-of-government petition drive in Arlington. One of the two, Cheryl Simmons, had been convicted of a prior felony and was unable to vote, making her unable to collect signatures. It also was found that the petition's campaign manager also acted as the notary public certifying signatures before turning them in to the court.
By
Christy Goodman
| January 14, 2011; 12:23 PM ET
Categories:
!Elections, Christy Goodman
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