By Amy Bishop-Dunbar President of the League of Women Voters, Santa Monica
Did you know the petition signature-gatherers you see in front of stores and at the Farmers’ Market are hired by private campaign companies and are paid per signature collected? The League of Women Voters is concerned that the signature-gatherers on a local campus have been caught fraudulently asking people to sign four sheets for a “children’s cancer program.” In truth, the signers are putting their name on four separate petitions. The signers had no idea they were signing petitions to change the way California allots its’ electoral votes, eminent domain and other issues.
Do not sign petitions unless you read them carefully. Information is not secure when collected by paid signature-gatherers. If you receive a voter registration form from these paid petitioners, insist on mailing the form yourself so the information on it will remain private.
If you wish to register to vote, you may obtain a registration form at any post office. In Los Angeles County, you can call the Registrar’s Office at (562) 466-1310 and a form will be mailed to you directly. You can also download a form from the California Secretary of State’s Web site, www.sos.ca.gov. A voter registration form requires a signature, so you can’t register on-line.
The deadline for registering to vote for the Feb. 5 Presidential Primary is Jan. 22, 2008. Remember, you must re-register if you have moved, changed your name, or wish to change your political party.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 28, 2007. Read the original PDF.