A committeewoman in Allegheny County, PA notarized her petitions for nomination for public office, and she is now facing criticisms from other local politicians calling for her removal. Cynthia Kirk, a GOP candidate, violated Notary Public Law with her actions and faced fines, a mandated notary class, and a suspension of her notarization rights.

Though she had no financial gain from notarizing her own documents, Kirk was penalized because notaries public are prohibited from transacting documents in their own interest. Because she had enough signatures without the 18 petitions, she herself signed, and because she has no other record of bad behavior, Kirk asserts that she should not be removed from her position as the committeewoman.