Stop Ballot Fraud
Exposing the deceptive tactics behind the country’s most suspect ballot initiatives.
The Basics
An overwhelming majority of states are ripe for continued ballot initiative abuse, fraud, and deception unless significant changes are made through legislative action to clean up the system. BISC recently created the Ballot Integrity Report Card detailing most states’ protections against initiative fraud are undermined by a lack of standards, transparency, accountability, oversight and enforcement.
To read more, click here.
Featured Story
Initiative profiteers and perpetrators of fraud are proliferating with each successive election cycle and now they’re... running for statewide office? Bill Sizemore, a veteran initiative activist with a series of well-publicized legal and political setbacks, filed to seek the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.
Why does this matter? Because Bill Sizemore has a longstanding history of fraud. He was also just indicted for tax evasion.
Fraud Merchants
Fraud Merchants
Tim Eyman
Tim Eyman is a “professional initiative promoter” in Washington state and has been promoting and profiting from initiatives since the late 1990s, starting his career by helping to pass Ward Connerly’s initiative to outlaw equal opportunity programs.
RELATED BLOG POSTS
- 11.06.09 Washington’s Tim Eyman and his initiative future
- 10.29.09 Unions file new suit against Sizemore, Parks
- 10.18.09 Initiative 1033: Tim Eyman Measure Will Trim Government, but at What Cost?
- 09.26.09 KGW: Activists file for ballot measure to repeal new taxes
- 09.24.09 Muni League Slams Eyman Initiative
Fraud Merchants
Mark Jacoby
Mark Jacoby is a professional signature gatherer that owns Young Political Majors (YPM), a petition circulation company that has been accused of wrong-doing in several states. While still in his 20s, Jacoby has already succeeded in being charged with multiple crimes related to election fraud.
Fraud Merchants
Arno Political Consultants
Arno is known as one of the largest and most successful signature gathering firms in the country. Despite their impressive client list and years of experience, Arno is also known for something else: illegalities in their signature gathering practices.
RELATED BLOG POSTS
Fraud Merchants
Tim Mooney
Tim Mooney is a former partner of ARNO Consulting, which has been accused of ballot fraud in multiple states. Mooney is the national coordinator for Save Our Secret (SOS) Ballot and has been specifically cited as in charge of their signature gathering efforts.
RELATED BLOG POSTS
Fraud Merchants
Bill Sizemore
One can't talk about the Oregon initiative system without mentioning "racketeer" Bill Sizemore. This particular initiative fraudster makes his living off of direct democracy and since the 1990's, Sizemore and his anti-government, anti-union allies have dominated Oregon's initiative system.
Sizemore's record of pushing policy gimmicks to starve state priorities is outdone only by the "$2.5 million racketeering judgment" against him.
RELATED BLOG POSTS
- 12.04.09 Editorial: Bill Sizemore: Fade Away
- 12.01.09 Sizemore indicted in tax case
- 10.02.09 Guest Column: Oregonians standing up against the national anti-tax movement
- 09.18.09 A conversation with Kate Brown, Oregon’s secretary of state
- 08.05.09 Oregon’s tarnished initiative: Start by cleaning up signature gathering
Fraud Merchants
National Ballot Access
Reports from a number of states indicate that Ward Connerly's paid signature gatherer, Edee Baggett, is up to her old tricks. In a manner eerily similar to what was witnessed in Michigan during the 2006 cycle, complaints are already being filed alleging that voters have been tricked by National Ballot Access into signing Connerly's so-called "civil rights initiative."
Fraud Wire
Stay Informed
Signature gatherers working for anti-LGBT group "Protect Marriage Washington" used misleading tactics to get Referendum 71 on the ballot.
- 01.06.10 Legislators push for openness in ballot initiatives Full Story
- 12.04.09 Editorial: Bill Sizemore: Fade Away Full Story
- 12.01.09 Sizemore indicted in tax case Full Story
- 11.24.09 Bill Sizemore runs for Governor. No, really. Not kidding. Full Story
- 11.24.09 Bill Sizemore wants second chance for Oregon governor Full Story