Today in The Oklahoman newspaper there's a story that sheds more light on the devious lengths [1] to which anti-progress petition circulators are going in order to advance their agendas. In this specific case, the supporters of an Oklahoma petition that would ban affirmative action --an initiative identical to one advanced by the same proponents here in Missouri [2]-- have been engaging in fraudulent practices in the course of circulating their petition.
One group trying to defend the state against the petition spoke out yesterday about rampant fraud:
The group alleges the petition included unregistered voters and duplicate signatures. There are some pages where all the signatures were in the same handwriting. Other pages show multiple signers used the same mailing address, Driver said. Driver also said there is evidence petition-gatherers collected names at homeless shelters.
Underhanded circulation tactics by out of state circulators are nothing new. Professional circulators who pushed a TABOR petition both here in Missouri and in Oklahoma in 2006 were actually indicted for fraudulent practices [2] last year in the Sooner State.
Making this doubly worrisome is the fact that --once again with the Klan-backed [2] anti-affirmative action petition as with the TABOR petition last cycle-- essentially the same band of mercenary circulators are moving petitions in both Missouri and Oklahoma.
How do we know the same folks allegedly engaging in fraud in Oklahoma are also moving petitions here in Missouri? They themselves admit as much. Consider the testimony of professional circulator Mary Edith (Edee) Baggett from a deposition on January 29 of this year (questions from the deposing attorney, answers from Ms. Baggett):Q. And so what are you doing in Missouri?
A. The Oklahoma -- the Missouri Civil Rights initiative. And I'm consulting with the eminent domain proponent. I'm sure there's more.
Q. Have you started collecting signatures on either the Missouri Civil Rights initiative or the eminent domain proposal?
A. Missouri Civil Rights initiative is being corrected presently. Just into it a few days, actually. And then the eminent domain issue is being circulated by volunteers.
The Oklahoma and Missouri anti-affirmative action efforts are so intertwined --even in the mind of the person responsible for the collection effort-- that she conflates them as she begins to answer the first question above by talking about the "Oklahoma Civil Rights Initiative" before catching herself and correcting her statement.
Can there be any real doubt, given that petitioners can't keep the two states straight, that whatever tactics and strategies were used by Baggett to collect signatures in Oklahoma are also being used here in Missouri?