California Assemblymember Richard Gordon (D-Menlo Park) has introduced AB 481, to require all individuals who circulate an initiative, referendum or recall petition to wear a badge. If the circulator is being paid, the badge must say “Paid Circulator.” If the circulator is not being paid, the circulator’s badge must say “Volunteer Signature Gatherer.” The badge must be in at least 30-point type and must be worn on the chest, and must be visible. Here is the text of the bill.

The bill has a hearing in the Assembly Elections Committee on Tuesday, April 12, probably at 1:30 p.m. The bill also requires all petitions to be printed with a statement that tells if that sheet is being circulated by a paid circulator or a volunteer circulator. This makes petitioning more expensive, because the proponents would generally need to print two different versions of their petition.

This is a remarkably thoughtless bill. The bill makes no reference to whether the petition is being circulated in public, or not. Thus, under the literal terms of the bill, no one could go to a private meeting, as a volunteer, and ask individuals at that meeting to sign the petition, unless the circulator were weaing a badge. Many volunteers only collect a few signatures on any petition. Sometimes blank petitions forms are mailed to individuals, and the enclosed letter asks the recipient to please circulate the petition among family members or neighbors and return the petition in an enclosed envelope. Under the bill, even these individuals would be breaking the law if they didn’t wear a badge.

The bill is co-sponsored by Assemblymember Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), who had his own bill for badges for circulators, AB 651. However, that bill was amended to delete the badge requirement. As originally introduced, it would have required paid circulators to wear a badge identifying the person or company who was paying them.