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Garrison pushes petition reforms
Democrat Jennifer Garrison, who is running for Secretary of State next year, plans to introduce legislation that aims to clean up the petition circulating process in Ohio that has been marred in recent years by fraud, dead voters, and lying workers.
Garrison, a state representative from Marietta, wants petition firms to be licensed by the Secretary of State, circulators to be registered with the state, and training to be offered to anyone who is circulating ballot petitions.
Earlier this year, the signatures of 23 dead people showed up on petitions in Montgomery County; in 2008, workers circulating pay day lending petitions inaccurately told voters the issue would lower loan rates; and in 2007, there was misconduct among circulators of a strip club referendum.
“Ohio must beef up its laws to protect direct democracy,” Garrison said. “And if it does not, our system will continue to be hijacked by well-financed special interests that subvert the process through illegal or misleading activity.”
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