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BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

COLUMBUS - Suggesting that fraud is contributing to Ohio becoming "the California of the Midwest'' when it comes to ballot initiatives, a Democratic candidate for secretary of state yesterday proposed cracking down on professional petition circulators.

"Ohio laws governing ballot initiatives unfairly place the burden on low-level petition circulators rather than the companies that hire them, don't properly train them, or train them to do anything or say anything to get the necessary signatures," Rep. Jennifer Garrison (D., Marietta) said.

The bill would require professional signature-gathering firms to be licensed by the secretary of state. All individuals hired to stand on street corners with petitions to put questions on the ballot would have to register and affirm they understand the rules governing them.

The bill would require the secretary of state to develop a training program for circulators to be offered by the licensed firms, but it would not mandate that their workers must complete the training.

Three statewide initiatives appeared on the Nov. 3 ballot, and all three passed. The most controversial, a constitutional amendment bringing Las Vegas-style casinos to Toledo and three other Ohio cities, was the only one to sidestep lawmakers to go directly to the ballot.

Penn National Gaming Inc., which will own the Toledo and Columbus casinos, and Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert, who will own the Cleveland and Cincinnati sites, spent $3.4 million just to put the question on the ballot.

A constitutional amendment these days requires more than 402,000 valid signatures from registered voters, and ballot committees have sometimes needed to initially file double that, knowing that about half will probably be disqualified.

With individuals often paid per signature, some ballot initiatives often have been fraught with fraud. Some petition circulators have been accused of picking names from phone books. Others have been caught on tape or video lying to would-be signers about the intent of the petitions.

Ms. Garrison's bill would not outlaw the practice of paying workers by the signature. A past attempt to do that was struck down by the courts as unconstitutional.

Sen. Jon Husted (R., Kettering), a potential GOP opponent of Ms. Garrison next fall, called the proposal "a reasonable place to start." "If it is sent over to the Senate, I will seek to get this or a similar solution put in place," he said. "Likewise, I hope she will exercise leadership in passing my resolution for redistricting reform through the House. That truly is the biggest threat to democracy, allowing the gerrymandering of districts so that voters don't get a choice."

Sandra O'Brien, a former Ashtabula County auditor challenging Mr. Husted for the GOP nomination in May, had yet to see Ms. Garrison's proposal and declined to comment.