"Business Insights into the Florida-based Signature-collecting Venture for Legislative Proposals, Dubbed 'Felony-friendly'"
In the sunshine state of Florida, a heated battle is unfolding over the expansion of gambling, with two opposing groups vying to get their respective proposals on the ballot. On one side, the Las Vegas Sands Corp. is pushing for the right to build three brick-and-mortar casinos, while a coalition of commercial sports betting operators, including DraftKings and FanDuel, is aiming to legalise statewide mobile wagering.
The Sands Corp.'s proposal, however, has not been without controversy. The company has sued entities connected to the Seminoles over what's known as "petition blocking" and alleged harassment. The Seminole Tribe, in turn, is gathering signatures in support of its 2021 gaming compact, which has been deemed illegal by a federal court.
The process of gathering signatures in Florida is unique. Signature gatherers are paid hourly, not per signature, though the hourly wage can be tied to the number of signatures gathered, effectively paying per signature de facto. This method is legal in Florida, and it allows petitions to be signed outside the presence of a signature gatherer. Petitions can also be mailed to voters' homes.
The fate of legal sports betting in Florida is currently in dispute in courtrooms in Washington, D.C., and Tallahassee, Florida. The controversy has attracted the attention of a veteran of signature-gathering campaigns who has been convicted of election fraud. Wilmoth, despite his past conviction in Virginia for hiring signature gatherers with criminal records, is currently consulting with a petition company working in Florida on the Las Vegas Sands proposal.
Wilmoth has strongly refuted allegations that he encourages forged signatures and circulates a petition with another signature gatherer's identification number. He claims he has not been in Florida since June. It's worth noting that Florida law permits people with criminal records, including those convicted of election fraud, to work in the signature-gathering business.
In contrast, Oregon has stricter regulations. It is illegal for a circulator to have been convicted of a criminal offense involving fraud, forgery, or identification theft in any state within a period of five years. As of 2021, Arizona, Florida, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wyoming have bans on paying circulators on a per-signature basis.
The 2019 bill in Florida that would have banned convicted felons from working as paid petition circulators died in the House Committee on Judiciary. This law, if passed, would have potentially impacted Wilmoth's work in the state.
As the battle for Florida's gambling expansion continues, the role of signature gatherers, their methods, and their backgrounds remain under scrutiny. The outcome could have significant implications not only for the gambling industry but also for the state's electoral process.
