Ontario County DA Files 2,300 Petition Signatures in Re-Election Campaign

Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts filed more than 2,300 signatures at the Board of Elections to secure his spot on the ballot in this year’s re-election campaign.

“I’m truly humbled and honored to have earned signatures and support from thousands of Ontario County Republicans for my re-election campaign,” said Ritts. “Thank you to the many volunteers who dedicated their time and effort during some very cold and snowy weather over the last six weeks.”

According to a news release from the Ritts campaign, Ritts and his team of volunteers collected 2,348 signatures from Republican voters across every town in Ontario County.

The incumbent’s Republican primary opponent, Jason McBride, gathered 1,436 signatures.

According to New York State Election Law, Rules, and Regulations, Republican candidates for countywide office in Ontario County must collect signatures from at least 1,000 registered Republican voters in order to appear on the Republican ballot line.

The campaign stated Ritts personally collected 625 signatures compared to the 72 it claimed McBride gathered himself.

“One of the most important parts of running for office is looking voters in the eye and personally listening to their concerns. That’s why I’ve always made it a priority to go door-to-door and listen to Ontario County voters,” said Ritts. “If a candidate isn’t willing to put in hard work on the campaign trail, that’s a good indication of how they might fall short if elected to the office.”

Ritts has served as Ontario County District Attorney for the past seven years and has spent more than 25 years in total prosecuting criminals as a member of the District Attorney’s Office. He was recently endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers and the New York State Police Investigators Association.

A Republican, Ritts announced his intent to run for re-election in January. He is also running on the Conservative Party ballot line after earning the Ontario County Conservative Party’s endorsement last month.