Horse racing initiative backers accuse Idaho tribe of breaking law

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Backers of a ballot initiative seeking to legalize lucrative betting machines in Idaho say the Coeur d'Alene Tribe has broken state law while attempting to deter the success of their petition and they have alerted law enforcement officials.

According to Save Idaho Horse Racing on Monday, the tribe has offered at least two petition employees cash to stop collecting signatures. They say this violates state law which makes it a felony for a person to offer a "valuable consideration" in order to prevent circulating a petition or soliciting signatures.

An official with North Idaho Voter Project — which is connected to the Coeur d'Alene Tribe — did not immediately return a request for comment.

Save Idaho Horse Racing had previously accused the tribe of hiring operatives to deter voters from signing the petition.