D.C. official wants to tighten law after forgeries found on gambling petitions

Heather Greenfield

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2004 | 9:08 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- After city officials spent days examining petitions for forgeries in an initiative to bring video lottery terminals to the District of Columbia, a city councilman wants to do more than bet it won't happen again.

Councilman Adrian Fenty, D-Ward 4, plans to introduce legislation when the council returns next month that would ban the machines. He said the council should consider tightening laws to "pre-empt something like this from happening."

Last week, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics refused to put the gambling measure before voters on the Nov. 2 ballot after tossing thousands of illegal signatures collected by a group during a five-day petition drive.

The decision came after nine days of hearings. Though the drive produced more than 56,000 signatures, the elections board ruled the group fell short of requirements to collect 17,599 valid signatures because of forgeries and other violations.

"We've got to do something a little more penal when someone is abusing the process so egregiously," Fenty said. "We need someone on the Board of Elections that is, one, an investigator and, two, looks at this with the taxpayer in mind."

The board currently determines whether a voter is registered at the address listed on the petition, but it is largely up to citizens to challenge ballot initiatives for forgeries or other problems.

Activist Dorothy Brizill, with D.C. Watch, helped bring the forgery allegations to the board's attention. She did not know how many hours she spent sorting through petitions, but said she devoted about 126 hours during the nine days of hearings.

"It's too grueling to expect citizens to go through hearings for nine days," Brizill said. "I hope there will be some cool deliberations on circulator laws and challenges."

She suggested the board hire an investigator or have volunteers like the League of Women Voters occasionally observe petition drives to see if they are following basic rules.

Councilwoman Carol Schwartz, R-At Large, said the idea of an investigator on the Board of Elections is something she "would be willing to look at," but added that activists should initiate any investigation. Otherwise, Schwartz said, the city might end up with ordeals like this every time a few signature irregularities were found.

A report detailing the elections board's ruling on the gambling initiative is expected early this week. Spokesman Bill O'Field said the board will decide later whether to issue fines for the invalid petitions.

Attorney John Ray, who represents the group seeking to bring 3,500 video lottery terminals to Northeast D.C., plans to appeal the ruling to the D.C. Court of Appeals.

In addition to a casino, the measure also calls for a hotel on the 14-acre lot on New York Avenue. Supporters said the project would have generated about 1,500 jobs and produced $210 million in local tax revenue.