Email today from the Jereski Campaign:
**Jereski Campaign: Urgent Action Needed**
Yesterday afternoon, August 4th, after hours of badgering, disruption, and conniving by Maloney's 5-person team of election lawyers and objectors, the Board of Elections ruled that our designating petitions were 4 signatures short of the 1250 needed to qualify. (details below)
The campaign will now have to invest some of our resources on petitioning the courts to recognize signatures mistakenly dismissed instead of putting those resources into our street operations and voter education efforts. We are certain of success in having the courts recognize that at least 4 and most likely two dozen signatures are valid and reinstating us. It is especially important now that all volunteers step forward to help with outreach, donations, and events planning.
We are baffled as to why a six-term Congressperson would spend so much time and money running away from debates and an election if she believes in herself and her popularity.
Maloney, the millionaire incumbent, is trying to throw Robert Jereski off the ballot! Maloney, a Democrat in name only, apparently prefers to spend money on election lawyers rather than putting those resources into holding debates where she might explain her views and votes to the voters. We are very disappointed that Maloney, who has voted with Bush too many times (click here http://jereskiforcongress.com/Compare.php for comparison between Jereski and the incumbent), would use her PAC money to unleash her election lawyers to thwart Democracy, instead of facing the voters and asking them to decide. We oppose election by election lawyers. If you do as well, please send a contribution to help with the attorney's fees.
We continue to call on Maloney to withdraw her undemocratic challenges to our petition, to agree to hold debates with Robert Jereski on the issues to inform voters about their options.
The following two week period is critical. If you reject the world Bush is offering us, then help us fight the Bush Agenda locally and get involved this week.
Click here http://jereskiforcongress.com/ for the campaign website.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
Donations: You can help by sending a check to the following address and/or taking action in the district.
Friends of Robert Jereski
2 Tudor City Place, Apt. 9AS
New York, NY 10017
Details about what transpired at the Board of Elections yesterday:
At the beginning of the hearing, the Board of Elections had estimated that we were 24 below the threshold. I claimed to have us well above (with at least two dozen more than necessary). I asked for a review. We spent 4 tense hours during most of signatures I claimed valid were reviewed. I got 28 more that put us over by 4. Many I should have had recognized were not given b/c of the badgering of Maloney's team (5 of her people were there). Maloney's lawyer found that they had undercounted by 8 the invalids on my petition.
We went in front of the commissioners again. I appealed to them to reinstate another 11 signatures from two other sheets. The Board of Elections Commissioner were applying a very restrictive interpretation of our signatures.
The result according to them is that we are off the ballot by 4 signatures. We will contest this finding and give the voters a choice.