cannabisnews.com: Can Initiatives Include Digital Signatures?





Can Initiatives Include Digital Signatures?
Posted by FoM on June 28, 2000 at 17:54:40 PT
By Tomoko Hosaka of The Oregonian Staff
Source: The Oregonian
In its quest to legalize marijuana in Oregon, the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp has embraced technology to stay a step ahead of the initiative system.In 1996, in its first attempt to put an initiative on the ballot, the group's Web site was the first in the state to offer petition forms that could be downloaded. Four years later, back for its third try, the campaign is the first in the country to gather signatures on the Internet. 
Not so fast, elections officials told the group. The state won't accept electronic signatures, insisting it is legally and technically impossible right now.So the marijuana campaign sued Secretary of State Bill Bradbury in Marion County Circuit Court last week to try to force him to accept the signatures -- putting Oregon at the forefront of an emerging digital debate that has been all but settled in the business world by states and Congress. There's little question that in business, digital signatures are here to stay. Paul Stanford, a chief petitioner of the marijuana plan, says they make sense in the initiative world, too."They're a lot less prone to fraud, and you don't have to hire paid petitioners," he said. "We think federal law is on our side. It mandates acceptance of these signatures."The lawsuit puts the state in the middle of an uncharted elections issue that is gaining steam across the country. Supporters of digital signatures say technology can make the initiative system cheaper, faster and safer -- and elections offices must catch up with the times. "Digital signatures are the wave of the future," said M. Dane Waters, president of the nonpartisan Initiative and Referendum Institute in Washington, D.C. "With the increase in technology, it's inevitable that digital signatures will be used in place of almost any paper signatures." Bradbury is just as optimistic about the potential of digital signatures -- in the future. He says digital signatures on Oregon petitions probably will be approved after online voting hits the state -- in about five years, he thinks -- and when state officials are convinced online elections are secure."It's a really big jump now to say you should sign your name on a mouse pad," he said.But petitioners such as Stanford see no reason to wait. Signatures gathered online are safer and more reliable than signatures gathered on the streets, he says. On a Web site, more information can be collected about a person, such as a phone number, e-mail address and Internet connection data. The technology also is good for voters, said Scott Flaxman, founder and CEO of http://www.ballotdirect.com/ a year-old company leading the charge to bring online signature-gathering to initiative campaigns. "Voters can actually read what they're asked to sign," he said. "It gives voters the opportunity to digest information from the comfort of their own homes."Waters says digital signatures can help lower campaign costs. Most initiatives in Oregon will not make the ballot without using paid signature gatherers, who are earning as much as $2 a signature as the July 7 deadline approaches."Digital signatures would go a long way in allowing the average individual to put a measure on the ballot," Waters said. Flaxman would not reveal how much the company would charge campaigns for its services but said it would be cheaper than hiring paid petitioners. The company's first client -- the marijuana group -- is not being charged. Stanford's Web site links voters to www.ballotdirect.com, where they can sign the marijuana proposal after registering their name and address. They use a mouse to write their name on screen. The result is a rough, shaky version of a signature, which Bradbury sees as a big obstacle.Elections officials verify signatures by comparing them to voter registration cards. A mouse-generated signature probably won't replicate a signature on paper, so there's no way to ensure the same person signed both, he says.Flaxman wants to allow voters to submit two signatures -- one created on paper, one by computer.Stanford -- whose initiative would, among other things, allow liquor stores to sell marijuana and let the state tax it -- says his group has collected more than 67,000 signatures on paper and another 100 by computer. The initiative needs 66,786 valid signatures to qualify for the Nov. 7 ballot. Oregon is among 46 states that recently have passed laws validating digital signatures. Oregon's law, adopted in 1997, is designed to promote electronic commerce in business and government. Earlier this month, Congress approved a federal law giving online signatures the same weight as pen-and-paper signatures. President Clinton is expected to sign the bill. The legal question facing Oregon is whether the state's digital signature law applies to elections. No provision specifically bars or allows digital signatures on petitions.Waters, who supports the use of digital signatures, says the lawsuit is on shaky legal ground. States can create rules regulating the initiative process, such as the size of petition sheets, if they do not infringe on constitutional rights.If Oregonians want a different policy, they'll have to push for a new law, Waters said."Legislatures don't like the initiative process," he said. "And they are not inclined to do anything to make the process easier." E-mail: letters news.oregonian.com Published: June 28, 2000Copyright: 2000 The OregonianRelated Articles & Web Site:CRRHhttp://www.crrh.orgBallot Directhttp://www.ballotdirect.com/ Marijuana Group Sues Bradbury http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6163.shtmlIntroduction To The Oregon Cannabis Tax Acthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2900.shtmlPutting Dope Dealers Out Of Work In Oregonhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2847.shtmlFinancial Backer Says Prohibition Doesn't Workhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2603.shtmlMicrosoft Millionaire Boosts Marijuana-Initiativehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2551.shtml 
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Comment #14 posted by jani rushang on February 11, 2001 at 10:54:36 PT:
get information.
i am student of mba.i want to reserch in production managment.so i want to know all production information of manufacturing the digital watch.thanking for your co-operation.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on June 29, 2000 at 19:46:13 PT
You're just so nice!
Thank You Suspect Stereotype & dddd! You guys are the best!Peace, FoM!
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on June 29, 2000 at 19:42:08 PT
Important E-Mail News
CRRH's Oregon Cannabis Tax Act initiative has over the minimum required number of signatures needed to qualify for a vote in Oregon. OCTA now has 71,136 signatures turned in to our Portland office. We are now working on a buffer of additional signatures needed to ensure qualification. An initiative here requires 66,786 valid registered Oregon voters' signatures to qualify for a vote in Oregon. Because some folks sign when they aren't registered to vote, or they have moved, or sign illegibly, we need to turn in over 80,000 voters' signatures to the Oregon Secretary of State's office by July 7th to qualify for a vote this November.CRRH is happy to announce that the new feature film, "Steal This Movie," about the life of Abbie Hoffman http://www.stealthismovie.com/ has named CRRH as its 1st featured political site of the week. The movie's producer, Robert Grenwald, has written a nice introduction to CRRH at their website:http://www.stealthismovie.com/featuredsite.htmlCRRH has received quite a bit of media coverage concerning our '"first in the world" digital signature drive.If you are a registered Oregon voter, go here to sign on-line:http://www.crrh.org/octa/sign.htmlTo see a TV report on CRRH's digital signatures, go here:http://www.crrh.org/hemptv/news_kgwesig.htmlCRRH needs donations now to pay petitioners. Please donate to CRRH so we may force a vote in Oregon to end adult and medical marijuana prohibition and restore industrial hemp. We need donations to pay petitioners. We need to pay for thousands of more signatures. You can make a difference by making a secure, encrypted donation using your Visa, Mastercard or Discover credit & debit cards on our website, linked from:http://www.crrh.org/donate/secure.htmlCredit & debit card donations appear on your bank statement simply as CRRH; Portland, OR. Anyone, anywhere in the world is welcome to donate. Every dollar donated means we can pay petitioners to gather 2 more signatures.Oregon state income tax filers get a 100 percent refund on donations of up to $50 a person or $100 for married couples filing jointly when filing the state tax form next year. Please make a contribution by mailing a check to:CRRHP.O. Box 86741Portland, OR 97286We're having a big petition event on the 4th of July. We hope to gather over 10,000 signatures that day, just before our July 7th petitioning deadline. There will over a hundred thousand people out that afternoon getting ready to watch the fireworks displays that night (more than twice that if the weather is nice), and we hope to have over a hundred petitioners to each gather over 100 signatures apiece in 5-6 hours that night. This will be a way to ring in real freedom and justice for all on the US Independence Day at the cusp of the new millennium. Call us if you can petition at 4th of July celebrations in Oregon. Be a freedom fighter!Please be certain, if you have petition signatures, remember to mail your signed petition back to us as soon as possible. Don't delay, mail them in today. Our deadline is July 7th, so after the 30th of June, be sure to either use express mail or turn your petitions in to the OCTA representative in your area.Please help us restore hemp. Thank you!Yours truly,D. Paul StanfordCRRH is working to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults like alcohol, allow doctors to prescribe cannabis through pharmacies and restore the unregulated production of industrial hemp.*Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp*mail:   CRRH ; P.O. Box 86741 ; Portland, OR 97286 USAemail:  crrh crrh.orgphone: (503) 235-4606fax:   (503) 235-0120web:   http://www.crrh.org/
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Comment #11 posted by Suspect Stereotype on June 29, 2000 at 17:10:44 PT
Being as it is that time of year...
I wonder if future students of American history will see FoM's brainchild here as one of the points of light shining through what has to be on of the darker times in America's history.Will future patriots "little note nor long remember" the things that have been said here? I think that perhaps they will.Peace, Love and Freedom to all,
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Comment #10 posted by dddd on June 29, 2000 at 16:56:10 PT
No one knows
FoM....it's true with so many people,like you used to be,,,they are unaware of what is really happening in this drug war thing. What you have done,and are doing here,,is truly special,and significant. Keep on,,keepin on....you're the Best...dddd
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on June 29, 2000 at 14:13:04 PT
Thanks Again dddd & Everyone
Thanks dddd!I really do appreciate you and kapt and everyone. CannabisNews is what it is because of you and the others. It is a great place to learn what is going on if a person is new online and is just finding out about the drug war and it's implications. That is CannabisNews' speciality I think.When I finally found my way to news sites like MapInc. I was dazzled to say the least but I was very ignorant about the drug war. I had been preoccupied for years with my family situations and didn't hear anything to speak of on the tv news so it was a great eye opener. I got lost in the news very easily. I didn't know what forfeiture laws or mandatory minimums were! I didn't even really know anyone that had been busted at least not in 20 years. I want CannabisNews to be a place to learn from those who's heart is in the injustice of the war. It is becoming what I hoped it would be and I thank you and everyone that contributes, reads and learns. I hope that people learn and get inspired to write letters to the editors like MapInc.'s mission is! That's what I hope!Peace, FoM!
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Comment #8 posted by dddd on June 29, 2000 at 11:20:18 PT
friends
Me 'n Kap wouldnt even be here if it wasnt for you...thank you FoM....JAH Shine on You.......dddd
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on June 29, 2000 at 07:53:18 PT
Hi dddd and kaptinemo!
Just stopping in to say hi to two friends! Just wanted to say that now back to finding some news!Peace, FoM!
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Comment #6 posted by dddd on June 29, 2000 at 07:39:52 PT
Yup
I totally agree with you Kap.It was remarkable that we had nearly simultaneous postings.....You are cool.....Dont stop......dddd
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Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on June 29, 2000 at 05:13:46 PT:
Another early riser
G'morning, 4D. I figured I'd get my 'tuppence' in while I could before things get busy.Yes, I do view this matter with no small degree of trepidation, as I made clear in this and other comments. You are quite right that this technology can and almost certainly *will* be used against this movement - unless we take the window of opportunity and use it against *them*, first. That was the point of my comments.
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Comment #4 posted by dddd on June 29, 2000 at 05:07:49 PT
P.P.S.
mornin' kap
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Comment #3 posted by dddd on June 29, 2000 at 05:06:23 PT
P.S.
I am aware of the lack of direct relevance to the article in my previous comment....oh well....dddd
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on June 29, 2000 at 05:05:22 PT:
I'm surprised at the lack of comments
Friends, condider this: If the means of electronic signatures is accepted in voting, we will be able to overturn nearly every idiotic drug law in States where referendums are allowed. Because we simply outnumber the DrugWarriors tens of thousands to one. You can bet the antis are sweating bullets about this one. They know that the online culture is, for the most part, diametrically opposed to their machinations. And that any tool that permits easy access to the democratic process will mean the eventual destruction of the DrugWar. This is what I meant in earlier comments about 'instant democracy'.Now, you can expect more corporate media mouthpieces like David Broder to pee-and-moan about the 'dangers of referendums to democracy', and expect him to be joined very quickly by the antis fulminating about its' 'dangers to the Chil-drun!' (Now, I'd like to see what gyrations and contortions they go through in explaining how democracy is bad for children.)On the flip side: Yes, sure, there's always a danger of Big Brother snooping; we already have monstrosities like ECHELON poking into our affairs, intercepting our international (and quite possibly, domestic) phone calls, internet commercial transactions, and attempting to decrypt PGP messages, etc. Given half a chance, they'd use it to round all of us up; that's why the antis want the Anti-Meth Bill so bad; it would legitimize a covert and dangerous technology by cloaking it in legal sanctity, and allowing it to be used for what it was *really* designed for. But this is our chance to 'head them off at the pass'. By making use of electonic signatures in voting, we would be able to end run these jokers once and for all. And quite possibly see the end of the Drugwar, not just 'in our lifetimes', but in 2-5 years. Narcs, you might want to start dusting off your resumes; you'll need them.
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Comment #1 posted by dddd on June 29, 2000 at 04:59:20 PT
NO WAY!
I dont know about anyone else,but this whole "digital signature"thing,is fraught with eminent peril.(Dickens,I think). I believe a bill has already been signed concerning this prepostorous trojan horse idea. Consider what the logical,and inevitable next law would be,if people can digitally sign petitions,initiatives,,etc..It will have some title like,,"The digital signature verification act",,,and it will allow a major intrusion on everyone.It will be the perfect way to excuse governmental involvement in the internet.In a seemingly innocent,yet necessary move,it will seem logical for the government to set up a structure to verify cyber-signatures...BEWARE!...All this stuff is not what it appears.It sounds like a wonderful idea now,but it would open many doors to further the agenda of those who want to further control the internet.....dddd
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