The committee seeking the recall of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell will hold more events this week to get more signatures on their petition. Now, that committee is battling an online effort to dupe people who want to sign the recall petition.
The recall effort's vice chair, Eileen Carter, says she's been presented evidence of the fake petitions.
"We had a resident come out and actually print out and show it to us. He found the petition on Nextdoor," Carter said. "The one that I saw had a fleur-de-lis and the stars under it that look like the New Orleans flag."
Carter says other people have told her about other fake online recall petitions.
"We also know about some change.org petitions," Carter said, adding that another fake petition was posted to nextdoor.com. "We did have team members go onto the site and say this is fake and phony, and we also had residents who were doing that as well."
Still, Carter says the recall effort is well ahead of schedule to reach the state-mandated threshold of 53,000 signatures by February 22.
"If we keep doing the numbers we're doing, yes, we'll finish in five months," Carter said.
Carter reminds people who want to sign the recall petition that they must do so in person.
"You cannot sign the recall online," she noted. "Everything must be handwritten."
Carter also says she's received reports of fake paper petitions being circulated around town. However, unlike the online petitions, Carter says she cannot verify if the rumors about fake handwritten petitions are true.
"We have heard rumblings of people or opposition to the recall doing their own and then tossing the signatures or keeping them or something like that," Carter said. "I don't have any confirmation of that."
Carter reminds voters that they only way to sign the recall petition is to do so in person.
"You cannot sign the recall online," Carter said. "Everything must be handwritten."
Carter adds that the committee will announce a new set of petition signing events later this week on nolatoya.org.
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