Rep. Ismay proposes ban on paid petition circulators.. Nice try, but it’s unconstitutional

Anti-marijuana crusader and State Representative Travis Ismay apparently doesn’t like paid petition circulators, as he’s introduced a measure to ban them:

HB 1267 by Pat Powers on Scribd

The problem he faces with that? Like it or not, it’s unconstitutional:

Meyer v. Grant is a key decision of the United States Supreme Court asserting the right of proponents of ballot measures to pay circulators to collect signatures. It was decided on June 6, 1988, on an appeal from a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. The ruling was unanimous; the court’s decision was written by Justice Stevens.[1]

and..

The highest court agreed with the Tenth Circuit that the Colorado statute “abridges appellees’ right to engage in political speech in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”[1]

Nice try, but that one has been long decided.

7 thoughts on “Rep. Ismay proposes ban on paid petition circulators.. Nice try, but it’s unconstitutional”

  1. For a guy that claims to be a constitutionalist, he sure seems to have a weak grasp on the constitution

  2. Maybe he should have tried to hire a couple and maybe he could have gathered the signatures he needed for his medicinal marijuana repeal.

  3. This dude evidently doesn’t care for cannabis
    but inhaling welding slag for years looks like
    it killed the few remaining brain cells that he claimed to have.
    The unbelievable part of his blather is that the guy is serious.
    Ignorant, but serious.

  4. So many of them only read part of either the US or SD constitutions and even then only understand a part of that portion. Painful to watch and hear them wave constitutions and have so little understanding or regard for them

  5. It’s about time for someone to come to ismays defense with a quote from the art of war by sun tzu and how that is ismays favorite coloring book.

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