An independent bid for New York’s 24th Congressional District seat may be coming to an end after state election officials determined Auburn attorney Todd Sloan fell short of the signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot.
The New York State Board of Elections held a hearing on Thursday following a review of objections filed against Sloan’s independent nominating petitions.
According to the review, election officials invalidated 1,641 of the 5,118 signatures submitted by Sloan. That left the candidate with 3,477 valid signatures, 23 fewer than the 3,500 required for an independent candidate to appear on the general election ballot.
Kathleen McGrath, a spokesperson for the State Board of Elections, told The Citizen that the hearing officer assigned to the case has recommended that Sloan’s petition be ruled invalid.
The recommendation is not final. The State Board of Elections commissioners must still vote on the matter at a future meeting. McGrath told The Citizen that commissioners typically accept the findings and recommendations of hearing officers in petition challenges.
If the recommendation is upheld, Sloan would be removed from consideration for a spot on the November ballot in the 24th Congressional District race.
A date for the Board of Elections’ final decision has not yet been announced.
