Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced the indictment of a woman charged with forging signatures to get a measure on the 2024 ballot.
Mitchell said Michele Brimmer, who gathered signatures for a ballot measure to enshrine the right to an abortion in Arizona’s constitution, faces felony charges for election petition fraud.
Mitchell did not disclose how many signatures were forged but said the abortion measure would’ve qualified for the ballot regardless of the forged signatures her office identified in its investigation.
Still, Mitchell said these types of crimes undermine trust in elections.
“We’re talking about a case that involved fraudulent signatures placed on an election petition. That is a crime and those who engaged in that conduct will be held accountable,” she said.
According to Mitchell, several individuals say they don’t remember signing the petition, and also didn’t recognize their alleged signatures.
Brimmer faces 14 felony and misdemeanor counts.
The abortion measure, Proposition 139, passed overwhelmingly in November.
