Florida and Kansas say 2 people faked signatures on petitions.

Accusations of voter signature forgery have surfaced in Florida and Kansas, where two petition circulators are facing serious legal consequences. Jamie Johnson, 47, and George Andrews III, 30, both residents of Dade City, Florida, have found themselves in hot water after allegedly forging signatures during campaigns for significant political measures. The allegations include attempting to place an abortion rights measure on the Florida ballot and aiding the No Labels party in gaining access to the Kansas ballot.

Currently behind bars, Johnson and Andrews are grappling with a series of felony charges. Johnson faces 20 counts in Florida, while Andrews is confronted with 30 in Kansas. Despite Andrews having been in custody since February, Johnson managed to evade authorities until her recent arrest in Nebraska. The Kansas Attorney General, Kris Kobach, is now making efforts to have Johnson extradited to Kansas for prosecution, with a July 1 extradition hearing scheduled in Nebraska.

Accusations indicate that Johnson and Andrews forged at least 46 signatures in support of the No Labels party’s recognition as a political entity in Kansas. Similarly, in Florida, they submitted 133 invalid petitions across various counties in an attempt to push the abortion rights measure onto the November ballot.

Although the success of the petition drives was not contingent on the forged signatures, with Kansas requiring over 20,000 signatures and Florida needing a minimum of 891,500, the seriousness of the fraud remains unchanged. Kris Kobach emphasized that regardless of the distance perpetrators attempt to put between themselves and the crime, they will be brought to justice in Kansas.

Ryan Clancy, the chief strategist for No Labels, clarified that the case in Kansas involves a subcontractor of a former vendor, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to training petition circulators and ensuring signature verification by a third party. Clancy expressed full cooperation with any investigations that may ensue.

While a public defender representing Andrews in Florida did not provide a statement on the matter, Tom Strigenz, the public defender for Johnson in Nebraska, revealed her intention to contest extradition to both Florida and Kansas. Strigenz also mentioned that Johnson’s presence in Nebraska was not related to any petition activities in the state, indicating her lack of ties to the area.