California Probes Petition Gatherers Offering Money for Signatures

State officials investigate allegations of illegal tactics to collect signatures for ballot measures.

Mar. 14, 2026 at 12:48am

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California election officials have launched an investigation after a video surfaced showing petition gatherers in San Francisco allegedly offering people money to sign ballot petitions using false names. The state secretary of state's office said the practice of paying for signatures is illegal under California election law, and any petitions with forged names will be rejected.

Why it matters

This incident raises concerns about the integrity of the ballot initiative process in California, where campaigns can pay people to gather signatures to qualify measures for the ballot. Offering monetary incentives could lead to fraudulent signature gathering, undermining the democratic process.

The details

The video posted on X shows a sign offering '$5' to 'Sign petition' and a woman at a folding table instructing people on what names and addresses to use. At least one of the petitions was for a tech-backed measure to fight a proposed tax on billionaires. The campaign behind that measure said the signature collectors were not directly working for them, and they are cooperating with authorities to reject any petitions collected with falsified information.

  • The video was posted on Monday, March 11, 2026.

The players

California Secretary of State's Office

The state agency responsible for overseeing elections and investigating potential election law violations.

Building a Better California

A committee started by wealthy business leaders, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, that is backing a tech-focused ballot measure to fight a proposed tax on billionaires.

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What they’re saying

“Under no circumstance do we tolerate this type of activity. Our campaign took immediate action and campaign attorneys reported to authorities.”

— Molly Weedn, Spokesperson for Building a Better California (wbal.com)

What’s next

The California Secretary of State's Office said it is investigating the matter and will reject any petitions collected through illegal means.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the need for stronger oversight and enforcement of California's ballot initiative process to prevent fraudulent signature gathering tactics that could undermine the integrity of elections.