WASHINGTON COUNTY (KFSM) -- With the election only months away, several voters across Washington County have been approached by canvassers, hoping to get signatures for different initiatives.
Some are circulating petitions which would legalize medical marijuana in the county, and would open the gate for casinos to build in county limits.
Brittany David said she was in her car Thursday night (July 14), when a canvasser asked her to sign the petitions. With kids in the back of her car, she said she signed the petition without reading it over, and then instantly regretted it.
“I wanted to read over it again, just to see what it was and maybe take my name off,” David said.
However, David said the canvasser refused to give her the paper back, claiming she needed to call her state representative if she wanted it removed.
“That doesn’t sound accurate. I just want to scratch my name off the list, that is what I would like to do,” David said. “Because, I didn’t want to be part of this petition.”
David called State Representative Greg Leding, who confirmed she could legally scratch her name off the petition.
“If you are still with the canvasser, you can just scratch your name off the list,” Leding said.
Leding added the canvasser was incorrect, as people change their minds often.
“If you change your mind, you can always have your name taken off the list,” Leding said.
Leding said he was glad David reached out to him, in hope others will know they can always change their mind.
“The best way to avoid the situation is to know what you are signing before you put your name on the paper,” Leding said.
David said, in the future, she will do just that, encouraging others to do the same.
“I would just ask the questions first before signing anything. I have definitely learned my lesson,” David said.
Leding said, if voters change their mind after the canvasser has left, they can still remove their name from the petition. By giving an affidavit signed by a notary to the State Secretary, they should have their name removed from any petition.
5NEWS reached out to representatives from an organization which supports the petitions for legalized marijuana. Attempts for interviews were not met. However, on the phone, one spokesman said the canvasser felt David was trying to sabotage his initiative by destroying his petition forms.
David denied those claims.