SD: Republican runs afoul of anti-abortion groups after labeling their phone calls a 'scam'
A top Republican state official has run afoul of anti-abortion groups after labeling their recent phone operation a “scam.”
The controversy started May 13 with a news release from South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson, who oversees elections. The release warned about phone calls from people who allegedly claimed to work for her office.
The callers were contacting people who had signed a petition to place an abortion-rights measure on the ballot in the Nov. 5 election. The phone operation was part of a coordinated attempt to gather information for a legal challenge to the petition, and to inform people that they could withdraw their signatures.
Johnson’s news release said callers were “impersonating” her staff and “trying to pressure voters into asking that their name be removed” from the petitions. The release included a quote from Johnson: “Citizens in South Dakota, by law, have the right to petition and people like these scammers are eroding public trust in the election process,” she said.
https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/05/23/republican-runs-afoul-of-anti-abortion-groups-after-labeling-their-phone-calls-a-scam/