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. YPM works extensively with ARNO Political Consultants. While still in his 20s, Jacoby has already succeeded in being charged with multiple crimes related to election fraud.

Allegations of fraud have followed YPM and Jacoby from Florida and Maine to Arizona and California. The accusations include lying to voters, falsifying voter registration forms, and never turning in petition signatures or voter registration forms as required by law. One of Jacoby’s own former circulators said Jacoby and YPM “encouraged, and even expected, behavior that could well be criminal…”

2009

Mark Jacoby pleads guilty to voter-registration fraud.

2008

On Oct. 20th, 2008, Mark Jacoby was arrested for allegedly falsifying his voter registration for the purpose of circulating petitions in California.

Also in 2008, Jacoby and YPM were hired as a subcontractor for Ward Connerly’s “Arizona Civil Rights Initiative,” in addition to several others circulating in the state. The result was an “unprecedented” number of initiatives removed from the ballot for invalid signatures. Connerly had over 130,000 signatures thrown out by the Secretary of State. The widespread irregularities found by state and local officials in the signatures Connerly turned in forced his initiative to be stripped from the ballot. On top of the signatures that were thrown out, an additional 100,000 fraudulent or suspicious signatures were turned in by Connerly to Arizona's secretary of state.

2005

A petition circulator alleges that Mark Jacoby personally trained her to conduct bait and switch tactics while YPM was subcontracting for ARNO Political Consultants on an effort to ban marriage equality in Massachusetts.

2004

In 2004, YPM worked as a subcontractor for ARNO Political Consultants registering Republican voters in Florida. While there, YPM was accused of falsely changing the party affiliation of as many as 4000 students at state universities.

Jacoby incorporated Young Political Majors (YPM) in Florida in 2004.

Fraud Wire