The Michigan Senate approved bills Thursday that include outlawing per-signature payments to professional circulators gathering signatures for pollical candidates and ballot campaigns.
Signature fraud caused several candidates in to be booted from ballots in recent elections, including several Republican primary hopefuls for governor in 2022.
The ban on per-signature payments would eliminate the financial incentive for circulators to submit forged signatures or lie about the petitions to get signatures, said Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Bloomfield Township), who chairs the Senate Election and Ethics Committee.
“The average voter is just being lied to and it’s a wish and a prayer that somebody is telling them the truth when they ask for their signature,” said Moss. “It is a financial incentive for them to say anything and do anything to get you your signature, including straight-up lying to you in order to get you to sign on.”
Almost all Senate Republicans voted against the bills. Senator Ruth Johnson (R-Groveland Township), a former Michigan Secretary of State, said the legislation is not likely to cure the problem of petition signature fraud.
“Even if paid on an hourly basis, petition circulators will have productivity expectations,” she said. “I also feel that the requirement to provide or read a summary of petition proposals will open up the door to enforcement that is biased, partisan or politically motivated.”
The legislation has an uncertain fate as it heads to the House, which is controlled by Republicans.
