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HAMILTON — Charlie Schirmer and Connie Smithers, both of whom live at CHOSEN homeless shelter in Hamilton, said they signed a petition supporting payday lending companies because circulators offered them $1 a signature.

Schirmer said Tuesday, Aug. 12, they were approached by a man and woman in late June who said they worked for a payday lending company and would lose their jobs if the measure didn't pass. Then they offered money.

"Right then, as soon as they said that, 15 people said 'we need a dollar,'" Schirmer said. "We went across the street and bought a soda."

This was one of about two dozen cases of petition circulators allegedly using misleading tactics or misinformation to dupe Ohioans into signing the payday lending petition outlined Tuesday by the Ohio Coalition for Responsible Lending.

Agency Spokeswoman Sandy Theis said when she hit the streets to hear the sales pitch from petition circulators, she was stunned to find 10 of 12 telling her outright lies to persuade her to sign.

Theis, an investigative reporter turned political consultant, said she even caught a few on tape, telling her — inaccurately – that the goal of the referendum was to lower interest rates charged by payday lenders.

The payday lenders need 241,365 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters by Aug. 31 to block the law from taking effect. The law slashes the annual interest rate payday lenders are allowed to charge to 28 percent, down from 391 percent.

State Rep. Bob Hagan, D-Youngstown, who co-sponsored the legislation, said three petition circulators told him the referendum would lower the interest rate.

Kim Norris, spokeswoman for the payday lenders, said, "We have hundreds of circulators working statewide each day and every single employee is provided extensive training on their task and what they can and cannot say. If anyone has any actual evidence that something was said incorrectly, we ask that the circulator's name be obtained, and we will take swift action to investigate and remove the employee if necessary."

CHOSEN Executive Director Linda Kimble said the circulators weren't welcome on her property, and her agency is "very opposed" to the measure.

"They prey on the poor," she said. "That (payday lending) is a very common reason people end up here."