Ontario County district attorney candidate Jason MacBride will not appear on the November ballot as an independent after a state Supreme Court judge ruled he lacked enough valid petition signatures.
The Finger Lakes Times reports Judge Thomas Leone of Cayuga County issued the decision Monday, stating that many signatures on MacBride’s nominating petition were printed and did not match voter registration records. As a result, MacBride fell short of the 1,500 valid signatures required to qualify for the independent “Truth and Justice” line.
The challenge to MacBride’s petition came from Ontario County resident William Hastings, who objected to a previous determination by the county Board of Elections. That board had ruled MacBride’s signatures were sufficient — a decision Judge Leone has now overturned.
Despite the ruling, MacBride will remain on the ballot in November on the Republican line after defeating incumbent District Attorney Jim Ritts in the June GOP primary. Ritts will appear on the Conservative Party line.
Late Thursday afternoon, Ritts announced he plans to retire soon and gave no date as to when he would step away
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