Arizona abortion initiative petition circulator indicted in Maricopa County
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office indicted a petition circulator, alleging she submitted false signatures in support of the 2024 abortion rights ballot initiative.
Michele Lee Brimmer, 52, gathered signatures to place Proposition 139 on the November ballot, according to the prosecutor's office. Proposition 139 supporters submitted over 823,000 signatures and the Arizona Secretary of State estimated there were nearly 578,000 valid ones. To qualify for the ballot, about 384,000 valid petition signatures were required. The proposition later passed with more than 60% of the vote.
The number of signatures believed to be fraudulent would not have affected whether the initiative was placed on the ballot, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said Thursday in announcing the indictment.
'Fraudulent petition signatures undermine the public's trust in our elections and will not be tolerated by this office,' Mitchell said. 'Those who engage in that conduct will be held accountable.'
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office determined that several signatures submitted under Brimmer's name were believed to be fraudulent, with some individuals denying that they had signed the petition. The indictment identified nine petition entries as containing fictitious information.
Brimmer, whose first court date has not yet been announced, was indicted on one count of fraud schemes and practices, a Class 5 felony; four counts of forgery, a Class 4 felony; and nine counts of false signatures on a petition, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Brimmer could not be reached for comment Thursday, and a defense attorney had not yet been assigned to her case, according to Maricopa County Superior Court records.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona abortion initiative petition circulator indicted
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