19-119.01. Petition signature fraud; classification; list of prohibited persons

A. For the purposes of this title, a person commits petition signature fraud if the person does either of the following with the intent to defraud:

1. Intentionally collects for filing petition signature sheets with the knowledge that the person whose name appears on the signature sheet did not actually sign the petition.

2. Uses any fraudulent means, method, trick, device or artifice to obtain signatures on a petition.

B. A person paid by a political committee to employ or subcontract with persons who fraudulently obtain petition signatures or who obtain petition signatures through other unlawful means is not guilty of a violation of subsection A if the person does both of the following:

1. Reports the suspected unlawful or fraudulent signature collection to the filing officer.

2. Refuses to file the suspected unlawful or fraudulent signatures.

C. A person who violates subsection A is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor, except that a person who engages or participates in a pattern of petition signature fraud is guilty of a class 4 felony and shall be prohibited from participating for five years in any election, initiative, referendum or recall campaign. For the purposes of this subsection, " pattern of petition signature fraud" means that the person employs or subcontracts with persons to obtain signatures and at least five of the employees or subcontractor's employees have been convicted of a violation of this section for one or more elections or recall campaigns in an election cycle.

D. The secretary of state shall maintain a list of persons who have been convicted of participating in a pattern of petition signature fraud in violation of this section and who are barred from participating in any election, initiative, referendum or recall campaign for five years from the date of conviction. The list shall be published on the secretary of state's website. The secretary of state shall remove a person from the list on expiration of the five-year prohibition. If a member of the public requests a copy of the list, the secretary shall provide it.