Ballot Initiatives by the Pros, for the Pros

The New York Times recently ran this article about professional petitioners and ballot initiatives. As a legal matter, I am not certain how a professional petitioner differs from any other campaign worker, although it does somehow seem less appropriate... The impression I get from the article is the same that I have of the guys who stand in my local supermarket trying to get me to subscribe to the newspaper: a little pushy, and to be avoided at all costs.