Some counties reject gambling petitions

CLEVELAND (AP) -- A large number of signatures on petitions to expand gambling in Ohio have been rejected in some counties, leading backers to worry whether the proposal will qualify for the ballot.
Summit and Cuyahoga counties accepted only 40 percent of petitions for initiative known as Learn and Earn, with the invalidated ones including three signatures by deceased voters -- one who died five years ago. The Summit County elections board has turned the petitions over to the county prosecutor for investigation.
Other Learn and Earn petitions filed in Summit County have signatures with similar handwriting listed in alphabetical order as if copied from a voter registration list, said Bryan Williams, director of the Summit County Board of Elections.
"It puts us through a lot of work," Williams said. "We spent $40,000 in staff time reviewing these petitions and over half of them were not valid."
Learn and Earn proposes slots at Ohio's seven racetracks and two freestanding sites in downtown Cleveland with part of proceeds going to college scholarships.
Backers of the initiative are worried about getting on the ballot and are collecting more signatures in case the first batch comes up short, spokeswoman Linda Siefkas said.