Sandra

Thanks for your question and including the photo.

Your pepper plants likely have a bacterial disease.  Some are spread by seed (ie: the bacteria are on the seeds) but many are in the soil and spread to the plant by water splashing up on to the leaves.  You could try to see if the plants survive and minimize progression by watering at soil level but then there is rain you can't control, so putting mulch around the plants can help.  The bacteria can also infect the fruit - if it came from the seeds, they will most likely be impacted.  

If you pull them up be sure to get all of the plant material out of your garden to lessen the risk of the disease next year.  Here are some other recommendations to minimize the impact of bacterial leaf spot from the Univ of Maryland Extension:

1. Select resistant varieties
2. Purchase disease-free seeds and transplants.
3. Treat seeds by soaking them for 2 minutes in a 10% chlorine bleach solution (1 part bleach; 9 parts water). Thoroughly rinse seeds and dry them before planting.
4. Mulch plants deeply with a thick organic material like newspaper covered with straw or grass clippings.
5. Avoid overhead watering.
6. Remove and discard badly infected plant parts and all debris at the end of the season.
7. Spray every 10-14 days with fixed copper (organic fungicide) to slow down the spread of infection.
8. Rotate peppers to a different location if infections are severe and cover the soil with black plastic mulch or black landscape fabric prior to planting.