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Board staff: 28 of 29 circulator exemplars matched; one circulator’s signatures do not sufficiently agree
Summary
Bureau staff reported a sample review of Cornel West petition circulators found most exemplars matched but identified one circulator whose sampled signatures did not match the provided exemplar; staff described enforcement options including fines, disqualification and cost assessment.
Bureau of Elections staff told the Board of State Canvassers that, after a court‑ordered investigation into circulator signatures for Cornel West’s 2024 petitions, staff compared exemplars and petition signatures and concluded 28 of 29 circulator exemplars they received matched the sampled petition signatures. For one circulator, staff concluded the sampled signatures did “not sufficiently agree” with the exemplar provided to the bureau.
Acting director (Deputy Director) said the bureau requested exemplars for out‑of‑state circulators and received most but not all. Staff asked the attorney for the West campaign for additional exemplars and issued a subpoena for remaining items; five exemplars remain missing at the time of the report. For the 29 circulators whose exemplars staff had, staff concluded there was no evidence of widespread fraud; for one circulator the signatures were not a match.
Mark Brewer, an attorney representing challenger Rosa Holiday, told the board that one identified circulator—appearing on many petition sheets—was associated with nearly 900 signatures on sheets where the circulator block appeared forged. Brewer urged the board to impose a penalty on the West campaign including assessing the cost of the investigation or a civil penalty, and said the board should send a message that circulator fraud will not be tolerated.
Board members and attendees pressed staff on counts. Staff said its review targeted the sample taken under the board’s sampling method; staff reported it found 18 signatures in the sample that did not sufficiently agree across the circulators under review and said one particular circulator’s sample signatures did not match the exemplar at all. The bureau’s Office of Investigative Services attempted to contact the circulator and could not reach the individual.
Staff explained the board’s statutory options if it finds a violation: assess the cost of canvassing the petitions against the sponsoring committee, disqualify a circulator from circulating for up to four years, disqualify obviously fraudulent petition sheets, or in extreme cases disqualify candidates or initiatives; the Court of Appeals has said such investigations need not be completed before a separate certification deadline because other enforcement remedies remain available.
Why it matters: circulator fraud allegations affect whether petition sheets are valid and whether sponsors retain sufficient valid signatures for ballot access. Staff said even if the one circulator’s signatures were invalidated, the sample resolution would not have changed Cornel West’s ballot status in the 2024 calculation. Board members asked staff to produce a cost estimate for the investigation so the board can consider assessing expenses to the campaign. Staff said it would provide an estimate at a future meeting.
