CINCINNATI A Hamilton County judge put two women on probation and ordered them to do 200 hours of community service for falsifying addresses and signatures on election petitions in an unsuccessful effort to repeal Cincinnati’s gay rights ordinance.
“To cheat on petitions in an election is to really rob people of freedom. It’s the foundation of democracy,” Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman told the women Monday, Aug. 20. But he also said Lois Mingo and Precilla Ward were minor players in what he called a “mean-spirited campaign.” They earlier pleaded guilty to election falsification. Both had been working for the group called Equal Rights Not Special Rights, which withdrew petitions for last fall’s ballot because some signatures collected were obvious phonies.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 24, 2007