New bill came after signature-gatherer gave lawmaker false info about initiative proposal
Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, says he was surprised when he was approached by a signature-gatherer in downtown Boise during a legislative lunch break recently and asked to sign a petition for an initiative to legalize horse racing in Idaho. He asked the man if horse racing wasn’t already legal – and was told no, that it wasn’t.
Crane said he was obviously a state legislator. “I had the badge on, everything,” he said. Yet the signature-gatherer presented him with false information about the initiative for which he was gathering signatures – which would legalize slot machine-like “instant racing” betting terminals at Idaho horse racetracks and simulcast betting parlors. “He wasn’t confrontational at all – just ill-informed,” Crane said.
So now Crane’s sponsoring new legislation that was introduced today to forbid false statements by those gathering signatures for ballot initiatives, and also require signature-gatherers to show the actual petition measure to prospective signers. Tyrel Stevenson, legislative affairs director for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, presented the bill to the Senate State Affairs Committee this morning, which agreed to introduce it.
However, Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said the bill won’t proceed further than that this year, given how late it is in the legislative session. “We’re done here this week,” Winder said. “So it’s not going to get any kind of a hearing process or move through committees. This is truly for discussion purposes over the interim.” Stevenson said that was what he was requesting.
Crane said the tribe is supportive of the legislation; it opposes the proposed instant-racing initiative. “But it’s broader than that,” he said.
Stevenson said he researched the issue and found that Idaho has a law on the books making it a felony to intentionally misrepresent the contents of a petition in order to gather signatures, but it was among sections of law invalidated by a 2001 Idaho Supreme Court ruling, Idaho Coalition United for Bears v. Cenarrusa. The new bill would replace the invalidated section with a misdemeanor offense, modeled after similar laws in other states.
Crane said he’s sponsoring the bill because “I just think there needs to be truth in advertising.” He said voters need accurate information to make an informed decision. “I’m concerned about protecting the integrity of the electoral process.”
