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Bill would require paid petition gatherers to disclose status, residence on badges and verbally
Summary
House Bill 201 would require paid petition circulators to disclose that they are paid and state their legal residence verbally and on a badge; supporters called it a transparency measure, opponents said it endangers gatherers and amounts to forced speech.
Representative Braxton Mitchell opened the hearing on House Bill 201 by saying the bill “would mandate that any paid signature gatherer, disclose their status as a compensated worker and state their legal residence.” The measure would require paid gatherers to verbally tell potential signers they are compensated and wear a badge that indicates they are paid gatherers and list the state where they legally reside.
Nut graf: Backers framed the bill as a straightforward transparency measure meant to improve voter awareness and deter deceptive or predatory collecting tactics during petition drives. Opponents, including a longtime signature-gatherer who testified for herself, said the requirement to display a home state and name on a badge could threaten gatherer safety, is unnecessary because paid gatherers are already disclosed to the Secretary of State, and could be viewed as state-mandated compelled speech.
Austin James, representing the Secretary of State’s Office, urged a “due pass,” saying the office received an “unprecedented number of calls, complaints” in the last petition cycle about misleading collection practices. James described the bill as helping elections officials, law enforcement and the public respond to problematic behavior.
S. K. Rossi, testifying as an opponent, said that while paid gatherers must already be registered with the Secretary of State and firms must disclose employee names, forcing gatherers to wear badges that include their legal residence could create real safety risks: “Some signature gatherers had opponents follow them to their homes. Some signature gatherers had opponents sit outside their homes and wait for them to come out and then harass them.” Rossi called the badge requirement “unnecessary” and “forced speech.”
Ending: Supporters described HB201 as a “common sense bipartisan measure” to increase transparency; opponents urged the committee to weigh safety implications and the fact that existing disclosures to the Secretary of State are already required. The committee heard no formal votes on HB201 during the hearing record.
