Officials in California launch investigation of apparent ballot fraud scam in San Francisco

People being paid $5 for providing forged signatures for ballot measures.

Investigators in California are looking into a viral video that surfaced online last week showing people in San Francisco, many of them homeless, being paid $5 to sign petitions while using forged names. 

The full video, which is just under two minutes, was shot and uploaded by JJ Smith, and it made immediate waves among those who are wary of voter fraud, a problem that liberals and Democrats constantly downplay. The footage shows people lining up to collect a $5 payment to sign petitions or ballot campaigns, without even knowing what it is they're signing. 

Moreover, the signature collectors instruct the people on what ballot or petition to sign, and what name and address -- which belongs to some innocent and unsuspecting voter -- to use. At no point in the video is anyone who's signing asked to show a valid ID.

“I approached some people and asked them what they were there for,” Smith told The Los Angeles Times. “They told me they didn’t know what they were signing for, that they just wanted the $5.”

According to Fox News, paying for signatures in California with "money or any other valuable consideration" is illegal. Asking people signing to use names that aren't their own is a form of fraud. And circulating a petition or ballot measure with forged names is another form of criminal fraud. 

All of this comes against the backdrop of the SAVE Act being brought to the Senate floor this week for a vote. The measure has already been passed by the House of Representatives and it aims to secure elections in the U.S. by requiring strong voter ID laws. Below, watch the Fox News report from more.