Prosecutor urges public to be wary of petitions

By Beth Kaiman
Seattle Times staff reporter

Norm Maleng

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In radio spots that begin airing today, King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng is adding his voice to a campaign to discourage voters from signing petitions for ballot initiatives, especially those carried by paid signature gatherers.

In the one-minute ad, paid for by a group working against Tim Eyman's proposed initiatives to lower property taxes and expand gambling, Maleng asks listeners to beware of companies earning up to $3 per signature and advises, "Ask questions. You have a right to know the truth about what you are signing and who is asking you to sign it."

In an interview, Maleng, a Republican, said he supports the initiative process and has advocated a few initiatives himself. But he has long been opposed to paid signature gatherers who, he believes, often are more interested in making money than in initiative issues.

Maleng, who opposes Eyman's initiatives, said the message from the county's top prosecutor is not intended to scare people from signing petitions.

And, he said, his message is his alone, even though the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, which is paying for the ad, also has been putting out hundreds of thousands of automated calls in the state telling voters that paid signature gatherers have been convicted of forgery and signature fraud and warning them to "protect yourself and beware!"

Radio ad script Norm Maleng's voice: This is King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng with an important message. All of us appreciate the citizen initiative process, but with so many petitions this year it's difficult to make informed decisions about which ones, if any, deserve your signature. So here is some common-sense advice: Ask questions. You have a right to know the truth about what you are signing and what kind of impact that it will have on our families. Some paid signature gatherers carry multiple petitions. They're paid up to $3 for your name, and may not know the details about what they are promoting. So make sure you read the fine print. The initiative process puts the power to make state law in your hands. But with power comes responsibility. So please, make sure you know what you are signing and who is asking you to sign it. It's only common sense. Unnamed woman's voice: Paid for by the Voter Education Committee, reminding voters to protect themselves from misinformation and signature fraud this initiative season.

While Maleng makes no mention of crimes committed by paid signature gatherers — and no prosecutions for such crimes have occurred in the state — a woman's voice at the end of the ad warns voters to protect themselves from "misinformation and signature fraud."

Roy Ruffino, who heads a signature-gathering firm that is working on several initiatives this year, including Eyman's two, said the campaign shows opponents are worried: "They're scared that certain initiatives are going to qualify."

Eyman said the phone calls and radio ad generate publicity for his initiatives and that's only good.

Christian Sinderman, a political consultant who wrote the script, said the ads will run several times a day on AM and FM stations, at a cost of $500 to $700 for each airing.

He said the public-employees union asked Maleng to record the ad because he "brings a sense of authority and gravitas" and "he's a spokesperson for good government."

Beth Kaiman: 206-464-2441 or bkaiman@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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