Assemblymember Phil Steck (D- Colonie) announced the Assembly’s passage of a new bill that would reform the process through which petitions for elected office are handled. The bill – which passed unanimously – creates clear, uniform statewide standards for the notification to a candidate seeking office of the filing of objections to their ballot petition signatures.

“Filing petitions to earn a spot on the election ballot is a critical – perhaps the most critical – hurdle for candidates seeking to serve their communities through elected office,” Assemblymember Steck said. “Currently, state law allows each county board of elections to establish their own rules in regard to objections to ballot petitions and many counties have no rules whatsoever. The result is that a candidate does not get notice that someone is challenging his or her petitions. Unsuspecting first-time or insurgent candidates who do not know this can be caught unawares. This is an undemocratic trap for the unwary that can be utilized by unscrupulous individuals to get legitimate candidates off the ballot.”

While the New York State and the New York City Boards of Elections do require notification that challenges have been filed to ballot petitions, that protection does not apply when the county boards of elections are the place where nominating or designating petitions are filed.

“You shouldn’t have to hire a legal team to run for office, nor should you have to wait on a county board of elections to find out if objections were filed.” Steck continued. “This legislation closes a long-standing loophole in our state election law. It will clarify and equalize the rules for everyone, making our political process a more democratic one.”