$5 to sign a ballot petition with someone else's name? Video spurs California investigation

"A video circulating online appears to show signature collectors paying people to sign initiative petitions under other people's names, according to officials, and now the state has opened an investigation. The video, filmed by videographer JJ Smith, shows a long queue leading to a table set up at 6th and Mission streets in San Francisco where a woman confirms payment and instructs people on the name and address they are supposed to use."

"Smith said he watched the scene for hours and estimated that a few hundred people cycled through the line over roughly two hours. Those running the table did not ask for anyone's identification and gave no explanation of what was actually being signed. Smith told The Times that people he approached said they didn't know what they were signing for, that they just wanted the $5."

"Petitions connected to at least three ballot campaigns - including the billionaire-backed effort to thwart California's proposed billionaire tax - appear in the video. The video showed voter data from San Luis Obispo County that was both visible and, as details were spoken aloud, audible in the footage."

A videographer in San Francisco documented signature collectors paying individuals $5 to sign initiative petitions using names and addresses of registered voters without their knowledge or consent. The video shows a long queue at a table where collectors provided names and addresses to signers, who were unaware of what they were signing. Multiple ballot campaigns, including a billionaire-backed effort opposing California's proposed billionaire tax, had petitions involved. Hundreds of people reportedly cycled through the operation over approximately two hours. Collectors did not request identification or explain the petitions' contents. Voter data from San Luis Obispo County was visible in the footage, prompting immediate investigation by county authorities.

Read at Los Angeles Times