A Maricopa County grand jury has indicted Anthony Harris, a registered Democrat, for falsifying petition signatures during the 2024 general election to get an abortion measure on the ballot.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, in April 2024, Harris registered as a circulator despite past convictions, which made him ineligible to work as a petition signature gatherer. An investigation revealed that dozens of signatures he submitted to place Proposition 139 — the Arizona Abortion Access Act — on the November ballot had been forged.
The number of fraudulent signatures submitted by Harris would not have made a difference in whether the initiative qualified for the ballot. Prop 139 had enough valid signatures to be placed on the ballot and it passed.
Harris is charged with the following:
- One count of Aggravated Taking Identity of Another, a Class Three Felony
- One count of Fraudulent Schemes and Practices; Willful Concealment, a Class Five Felony
- One count of Circulator Registration Violation, a Class One Misdemeanor
- Ten counts of Petition False Signature, a Class One Misdemeanor.