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Senate committee advances bill making it a misdemeanor to pay to destroy petition signatures and requiring 'paid blockers' to register
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB377 after canvassers testified that paid 'blockers' harassed petition gatherers, offered money to discard signatures, and in one case alleged arson and prolonged threats. The bill would criminalize payment to destroy signatures and require paid blockers to follow the same registration and background-check rules as paid canvassers.
Senator Bart Hester’s proposal to criminalize payment that results in the destruction or suppression of petition signatures cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee after canvassers recounted repeated harassment, threats and offers of money to discard legally collected signatures.
The measure, SB377, makes it a misdemeanor to pay someone to destroy a signature after it has been collected and requires paid “blockers” — people hired to disrupt or dissuade signers — to register and meet the same residency and background-check requirements as paid canvassers. John Burris, who helped present the bill, told the committee that the change is intended to level a playing field in which paid blockers currently face no registration or disclosure obligations that paid canvassers do.
“Paying to destroy a signature after it’s been collected should be a crime,” Burris said while walking senators through an audio…
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