The “Oath”…

“I, under oath, state that I circulated the above petition, that each signer personally signed this petition in my presence, and that either the signer or I added the printed name, the residence address of the signer, the date of signing, and the county of voter registration.”

Many petitions circulators have violated this “oath” by not “personally witnessing” every signature.  In South Dakota, just a few years ago, six Republicans were found guilty in a case that involved as many as 1,400 signatures.  Their penalty… a $200.00 fine.  Now, for an alleged violation involving 37 signatures, Annette Bosworth is facing 24 years in prison, thousands of dollars in fines and the loss of her license to practice medicine.  Seem fair to you??  Actually, the practice of “not personally witnessing” petition signatures is widespread, but rarely challenged.  Certainly not to the level of felony charges.

Here is the question for every Legislator in South Dakota, both past and present:

Will you swear that you personally witnessed every single signature on every petition you have circulated?

There are, no doubt, some who can respond in the positive.  They will be in the minority.

So, what say ye, Legislators???

Your silence is deafening.