I suspect “election officials” will look at those signatures and declare too many as invalid and the entire petition will be tossed out.
This is exactly what happened in Los Angeles -twice - to the recall effort trying to get criminal-friendly DA Gascon out. The petitions - with MORE than enough signatures were declared “invalid.”
LA Times:
“A second effort to force Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón into a recall election fizzled out Monday after officials determined that the campaign to boot him from office failed to gain enough valid signatures.”
Good news is Gascon will lose in November to Nathan Hochman - unless mass vote fraud, which is a very real possibility.
I should’ve read your post before mine, which echoes yours.
Great minds.etc.