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D.C. Pro-Gambling Side Wins Ruling

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As reported by the Washington Post: "The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled yesterday that District residents who work as petition circulators can use out-of-town assistants to handle clipboards and solicit individuals for signatures.

"The decision by the three-member panel, delivered by Chairman Wilma A. Lewis, was a setback for the coalition challenging the legality of a petition drive to put the legalization of slot machines on the Nov. 2 ballot. However, the ruling also fell short of being a clear-cut victory for proponents of the gambling initiative.

"The board stated that the D.C. resident circulator 'must be in such proximity to the signer' that he or she 'can attest to the signing' and can make sure the aim of the initiative was not misrepresented.

"…John Ray, a former D.C. Council member and an attorney for the slots initiative, hailed the ruling, saying it tracked decisions by the Supreme Court and lower courts in other cases.

"…The question of how the board would rule on the technical but crucial definition of a circulator had remained unresolved during nearly a week of hearings. The board members are looking into allegations that the petition drive -- in which more than 56,000 signatures were collected -- illegally used workers from outside the District to circulate the forms. Slots opponents have accused many in the effort of forging names and committing other election law violations.

"DCWatch Executive Director Dorothy Brizill, an anti-slots activist, said in an interview that she would have preferred a ruling that requires circulators to hold the clipboards but contended that the decision gives slots opponents ample room to contest many of the signatures on the proximity issue…"

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