Arizonans for Sensible Health Care Policy, the big hospitals’ campaign to stop the People’s Veto, has spent at least $268,000 so far on lawyers, PR, and meaningless petitions intended to confuse Arizona voters.
The Yellow Sheet reports that more than $77,000 went to The Summit Group, which Molera said is providing signature gathering and messaging services to the committee.
“Despite the $268,000 in listed expenditures, the notifications filed showed only $100,000 in contributions – $50,000 from the Arizona Business Coalition and $50,000 from the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Assn. Molera said he was unsure about the cause of the discrepancy. According to the secretary of state’s website, the notifications were all received on July 2, despite some of the expenditures and contributions occurring as early as June 19. State law requires ballot measure committees to report contributions and expenditures in excess of $10,000 within 24 hours,” reports the Yellow Sheet.
According to former state senator Frank Antenori, Molera’s petitions are intended to confuse people. The hospitals’ paid signature gatherers are deceiving signers about the purpose of the petition, leaving some people to believe that they have already signed in support of the People’s Veto.
Summit Consulting is reportedly paying people $1.25 per signature on his “fake” petitions.
On the James T. Harris radio show on 104.1FM, opponents with referendum petitions described encountering aggressive operatives who followed them around attempting to prevent them from having access to Tucson area residents.
According to members of the URAPC Alliance the “fake” petition gatherers have been spotted in Glendale, the East Valley, and in Tucson Arizona seeking signatures on a paper with the title: “Petition in Support of Health Care for Arizonans Who Need it Most.”
Willems’ group has traditionally worked for conservative candidates, but according to sources, Willems’ operatives will work for the highest bidder. Brewer’s team hired an out-of-state signature gathering business led by Jenny Breslin for their interference effort. According to sources, “JMS appears to be a mercenary organization and will work for the highest bidder, in this case for Brewer and the Medicaid Express.”
The Orange County Register reports that Breslin’s political signature gathering firm has been accused of wrongdoing in seven states and some of their “workers have been convicted of fraud in Florida and accused of violations in six other states, including California.”