California Probes Petition Gatherers Offering Money for Signatures

Video shows signature collectors in San Francisco allegedly paying people to sign ballot petitions using false names.

Mar. 14, 2026 at 2:18am

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California election officials are investigating a video that appears to show petition gatherers in San Francisco offering to pay people $5 to sign ballot petitions using false names. The petitions were for tech-backed measures, and the campaigns say they do not tolerate this kind of fraudulent activity and have reported it to authorities.

Why it matters

Paying people to sign ballot petitions using false names is illegal in California, as the signatures are reviewed and verified against voter registration records. This type of activity undermines the integrity of the ballot initiative process and raises concerns about the influence of wealthy special interests in California politics.

The details

The video posted on X shows a sign that says 'Sign petition for $5' and a line of people waiting to sign petitions at a folding table. A woman appears to be instructing people on what name and address to use. The petitions were for tech-backed ballot measures funded by a committee started by wealthy business leaders. The campaigns say they have reported the activity to authorities and are cooperating with the investigation.

  • The video was posted on Monday, March 13, 2026.

The players

California Secretary of State's Office

The state agency investigating the alleged illegal activity of petition gatherers offering money for signatures.

Building a Better California

A committee started by wealthy business leaders, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, that is funding the tech-backed ballot measures seen in the video.

Molly Weedn

A spokesperson for the Building a Better California campaign, who said the campaign does not tolerate this type of fraudulent activity and has reported it to authorities.

Nathan Click

A spokesperson for the Building a Better California campaign, who said the campaign has demanded the signature-gathering firm identify the petition circulator and reject any petitions submitted by that person.

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What they’re saying

“Under no circumstance do we tolerate this type of activity.”

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

“As soon as we became aware of the activities in question, we demanded that our signature-gathering firm identify the petition circulator, reject any and all petitions submitted by this circulator.”

— Nathan Click, Spokesperson, Building a Better California (ksgf.com)

What’s next

The California Secretary of State's Office said it is investigating the matter and will review the petitions to ensure any signatures collected through illegal means are not counted.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the need for strict oversight and enforcement of ballot initiative laws in California to prevent the exploitation of the signature-gathering process by special interests and protect the integrity of direct democracy.