Free & Equal, Inc.’s Flagship New York Petition Drive Avoids Challenge

Green Party NYC Mayor Candidate on Ballot, Other Candidates Face Dubious Challenges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 24, 2009 — New York, NY— Free & Equal, Inc announced today that the Green Party candidate for Mayor of New York City, Reverend Billy Talen, will be on the ballot in November. This comes after the time period for individuals to contest collected signatures expired without a challenger coming forward.

“We are proud that the voters of New York City will have a chance to cast their ballot for Reverend Billy,” said signature drive coordinator Sean Haugh. “With the help of a small army of volunteers, Green Party activists and the professional Free & Equal petitioning crew, we were able to collect enough signatures to withstand a challenge. We’re glad that the major parties have chosen to let the voters decide in November who the next mayor will be, rather than the bureaucrats at the Board of Elections.”

The legal requirement for an Independent Mayoral candidate is 7500 signatures. However, candidates are forced to spend the time and resources necessary to collect well over the required number of signatures due to the frequency of petition challenges that occur in New York State.

The Reverend Billy Talen signature drive turned in over 18,000 signatures from more than 110 individual circulators.

Free & Equal, Inc. has been a part of several other signature drives in New York State. In the race for Rochester School Board, Candidate Chris Edes, already on the ballot as a Democrat, had his Libertarian Party signatures challenged.

The individual challenge comes from Marcos Cruz, son of Democratic City Council candidate Jose Cruz.

Free & Equal awaits the specifics of the challenge.  New York state law allows for six business days before the reasons for the challenge must be disclosed. (NY state law allows for six business days before the reasons for the challenge must be disclosed) and we anticipate mounting a spirited defense of the signatures collected.

In Suffolk County, the county-wide petitions of the 3-candidate Libertarian Party slate have been challenged as well.

The individual challenge comes from Rosemary Marchlowska, a Democratic Party State Committee member.

“It is worth asking here: why is a Democratic party operative challenging candidates that traditionally take votes away from Republicans in a heavily red county?” said Haugh. “By August 31st, we will know the specific reasons for Marchlowska’s challenge.”

Free & Equal, Inc. looks forward to seeing Reverend Billy Talen on the ballot in November, and will vigorously defend the challenged signatures collected in New York State.

Free & Equal, Inc. is a petitioning firm specializing in ballot access for independent and third party candidates. Headed by ballot access crusader Christina Tobin, Free & Equal, Inc. is a non-partisan firm that works with candidates from across the political spectrum. Free & Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office.

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For more information about Free & Equal, Inc, contact Sean Haugh at (919) 402-3489.

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