Victim of CI-97 Signature Gathering Fraud Speaks Out Against CI-97 and its Big Money, Out-of-State Supporters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, September 18, 2006

CONTACT: Marissa Kozel, Not in Montana, 406-465-0283
Mike Samples, Butte Citizen, 406-723-8058

Butte - When a signature gatherer asked Mike Samples to sign his name three times for a petition on an Eminent Domain initiative, he didn't think much about it. But Samples soon found out his signatures were being used to support more than one initiative vying for a spot on the November ballot.

"A lady asked me to sign a petition on Eminent Domain (I-154), then she asked me to sign two other pieces of paper to verify my signature. I ended up signing two other initiatives (CI-97, CI-98) in the process," Mark Samples of Butte said. "I'm mad about it. I don't like being lied to and I don't like being deceived."

Samples told his story to members of the Butte community, at an informational forum on Constitutional Initiative 97. The forum is one of ten sponsored by the Not in Montana Coalition, AARP Montana and the League of Women Voters.

Last week a Great Falls District Court Judge removed CI-97, CI-98 and I-154 from the November ballot, citing pervasive fraud from paid, out-of-state signature gatherers.

Supporters for the initiatives have appealed their case to the Montana Supreme Court. But Samples will continue to inform other voters until the high court upholds the lower court ruling and throws the initiatives off the ballot for good.

"People do have a right to collect signatures, but they have to be truthful," Samples said. "People were lied to, it was total deception. These initiatives are not what people thought they were signing up for and it's not what they want to vote on in November."

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Not in Montana: Citizens Against CI-97, 1232 E. 6th Ave., Helena, Montana 59601, 406.443.3374, David Smith, Treas.
CI-97 opponents say the biggest fraud of all is that CI-97 backers lied to Montanans about what the initiative really does: hurts Montana schools and emergency services and raises local property taxes.