TULSA -- Green the Vote is hopeful they will be able to collect the 124,000 required valid signatures for their petition deadline after news spread that they fabricated their earlier numbers.
Three former members came forward on a Facebook Live video posted Monday night saying the number of signatures the group had announced the had on their marijuana petitions was not accurate.
In late July, Green The Vote said the petitions had surpassed its goal of signatures to get on the November ballot. The group reported SQ 797 had collected 132,527 signatures as of Sunday, July 29th.
In the video, one person said the actual number collected on July 31 was 31,244.
Tuesday, President of Green the Vote, Isaac Caviness, was collecting signatures at 81st Street and Memorial.
"There was nothing malicious done here," Caviness said. "We got off on our signature counts. We estimated our signature counts."
As of Tuesday afternoon, Caviness said they had 78,000 signatures on their recreational marijuana petition and they need 124,000.
He, along with other volunteers, are hopeful they can collect the remaining signatures they need before their deadline on Wednesday afternoon.
Cheryl Roberts has been working eight hours a day since May trying to collect signatures. She said she collected about 2,500 signatures on Tuesday alone. The retiree hit the pavement at 6:00 a.m.
She said when she heard the news about the number, she was a bit disturbed, but she pushed through.
"We are all out here just working. and we are all just trying to get the same thing accomplished," Robert said. "Full steam ahead. Keep working. There's always naysayers to anything you do and particularly when you are working with a bunch of volunteers."
Other volunteers and supporters are not taking the news so well. Some took to Facebook saying "... so disappointed in the actions of Isaac." Another said, "Liars, that's all you are. It's time most of you probably all of you step down."
We reached out to the whistleblower, Dody Sullivan, to get an update from her after she exposed the group Monday. She did not respond.
Caviness said if they are not able to get all of the signatures this time it will be extremely difficult.
"Previously, there was a lower voter turn out for the governor's race, which is why the signature amount is 124,000," Caviness said. "We all expect this governors race to have a very high high high turn out. It could push the signatures need up to 150,000 or 180,000."
Green the Vote will turn in the signatures they collected in Oklahoma City at 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday. The Secretary of State will have the final count.
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