State officials say they've completed a review of "apparent fraud" by a signature gatherer for Initiative 1098, the measure that seeks to impose an income tax on the the wealthy.No word yet from Bill Gates Sr. on this one.
The person submitted 349 names on 20 petition sheets, state officials said.
"The review showed that most of the names – 89.1 percent – were invalid, either because the person was not found on voter registration rolls or the signature and address did not match those on file," said Dave Ammons, spokesman for Secretary of State Sam Reed.
The state has asked the Washington State Patrol to investigate. Initiative signature fraud is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
"This is the worst case of attempted signature fraud we have seen in modern times. It may be only a tiny percentage of the total signatures, but it does represent an attack on the process, which relies greatly on the integrity of the people who circulate the petitions. For that reason, we are bringing the full force of the law to bear," Reed said in a statement.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Washington State: Nearly 90% of suspect income tax sigs bogus
The Seattle Times reports:
