Two new party lines in Guilderland and New Scotland faced objections, and one has been eliminated from the ballot, according to the Albany County Board of Elections.
An independent party petition started by Republican Matt Nelligan, running for Town Board in Guilderland, has been invalidated, according to information from the Albany County Board of Elections. Another by Republican candidates Roz Robinson and Tim Stanton, running for Town Board in New Scotland, has been challenged, but remains in tact for the time being.
Matthew Clyne, Democratic commissioner for the Board of Elections, said Nelligan did not collect enough valid signatures to create the line, and it was thus removed from the ballot.
It’s hard to get on an independent nominating petition, Clyne said. `You [usually] need more than enough signatures. You need to have some padding there. There’s a lot of nuance to this.`
Nelligan said he is disappointed that his independent line will not be on the ballot, but is optimistic about the election anyway.
`The election continues,` Nelligan said. `We’re in it to win it.`
He said the move appears to be an attempt to use `arcane` legal loopholes to remove his line.
`It’ doesn’t show a lot of respect for the average voter,` Nelligan said. `They’re trying to disenfranchise the voters.`
Nelligan said that while his signatures might not have lived up to the letter of the law, he is confident it is what many residents want.
`The intent of the voter is what’s important from my perspective,` he said.
Clyne said Nelligan initially had more than the 702 signatures necessary to create an independent line, The Tax Payer’s First party line, but due to incorrect addresses, signatures from people who do not live in town, and 103 invalid signatures for witnesses who were not qualified to collect signatures, put him under the required amount.
Clyne also said 19 signatures came from residents who have already signed a designating petition. He said 19 residents were not registered to vote in Guilderland.
Marcia Scott is listed as the filer of the objections, Clyne said.
Another independent nominating petition, started by Roz Robinson and Tim Stanton in New Scotland, was initially objected too, but Clyne said the Board of Elections had `no record evidence` to invalidate the petitions.
Robinson, Stanton, and Supervisor candidate Mike Fields started the New Scotland First Party. Fields has the support of the Republican committee, while Robinson and Stanton do not. The line would allow them to stay on the ballot, even if they lost in the primary on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
He did say, though, that there is a chance that the matter could be brought to the New York State Court of Appeals, if the objectors file for such an action.
The deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 1 for the filing, after the Spotlight Newspaper has gone to press.
`It wouldn’t surprise me if they did,` he said.
Check www.spotlightnews.com for an update to the story.“