THIS COLUMN APPEARED IN THE NORTHWOODS SPORTING JOURNAL - INSIGHT IN TO HOW THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES OPERATES. Humane Society of the United States Exploits Mainers Right to Petition David Trahan, Executive Director, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Joel Pitcher, Organizer/Business Representative IAMAW, District Lodge #4 On occasion, when the Legislature passes laws or a public policy that runs amuck of the Maine people’s will, citizens will step in and force a public vote through a people’s veto; in addition, when Maine people feel the Legislature is moving too slowly on a policy, they will force a referendum vote through a citizen-initiated petition. The “power to the people” citizen petition process is enshrined in the State Constitution: Article IV, Part Third, section 18-23. The power to petition their elected officials is reserved solely for Maine residents. This important and constitutionally guaranteed right was recently hijacked by the Washington, D.C., based organization, Humane Society of the United States, (HSUS). Most people are aware that HSUS circulated a citizen-initiated petition to ban bear baiting, hounding, and trapping. This column is not about the merits of that effort, but the questionable methods used to collect signatures. The Bangor Daily News outdoor writer John Holyoke reported, on January 16, 2014, how HSUS signature gatherers were misleading potential signers with outrageous statements about the need to outlaw hunting and trapping methods that were already illegal. As distasteful as this practice is, it is not illegal, just unethical. What is outrageous is the use of non-residents to solicit citizen-initiated petition signatures. Article IV, Part Third, Section 20, of the Maine Constitution defines a circulator of petitions as “a person who solicits signatures for written petitions, and who must be a resident of this state, and whose name must appear on the voting list of the city, town, or plantation of the circulator’s residence, as qualified to vote for Governor.” In addition, Section 20 goes on to specify that the circulator of the petition must swear an oath that they witnessed the signatures. Holyoke’s article also revealed that HSUS was using paid signature gatherers, and had hired the California consultant and petition firm, PCI, to manage the paid petitioners. Again, hiring PCI is not against the law the problem lies with the use of non-residents to solicit signatures for a Maine petition. In an HSUS Craig’s List ad posted up until just a few weeks ago, HSUS boldly revealed their strategy to avoid using Maine residents to gather signatures. HSUS advertised for paid Maine witnesses under an ad titled, “Outdoor work for Maine residents (Portland, Biddeford & Area)” The ad stated, “MINIMUM $75.00 per day (paid twice a week, so youll have quick $ in your pocket).” The ad continued, “We pair you up with an expert out-of-state petitioner who loves this work, so you can ‘witness’ the petitions being signed. The experts home states have no petition work at this time.” Why, if the Maine person hired by HSUS is eligible to legally collect signatures did they hire non-residents and pay them to solicit signatures? Answer, because non-resident, paid petitioners will say or do anything to get people to sign. In a recent conversation with lawyers and the Attorney General’s Office it was determined that this provision of the Constitution has never been challenged and there is no precedent; but, even though HSUS actions blatantly violate the intent of the provision a challenge in court would likely fail. The reason-HSUS’s is calling the non-residents “pitch men” instead of solicitors and they use paid Maine residents to “witness” the signatures. In the past, there have been rumors of campaigns hiring out of state petitioners, but never has an organization made the use of nonresidents the centerpiece of their efforts. Over the last decade, signature gathering has become a big business and like all competitive big money political campaigns, the rules are often bent or interpreted to a justify actions that are unethical or manipulate weaknesses in the law. If this use of non-resident petitioners is allowed to continue, no one on earth (citizens of other nations, illegal aliens, criminals, etc.) is disqualified from petitioning the Maine legislature and in time Mainers will lose their unique power of the grassroots-issue driven ballot campaign. In the last Maine Ethics Commission-required PAC report, due in mid-January, HSUS revealed they had already paid the California based PCI $160,000 for signature gathering. This number will undoubtedly grow to over $200,000 in the March report. On December 3rd, HSUS submitted 78,000 signatures to the Secretary of State that is nearly $3 for every signature collected. This loophole in the Constitution exploited by HSUS has created the model for future special interests from all over the nation and world to use their money and power to manipulate our Maine Constitution. It makes no difference whether you support or oppose this latest bear referendum; the tactics employed by HSUS should send chills down the back of every Maine citizen.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 19:50:22 +0000
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