Tuesday, July 20, 2010

September Primary Nominating Petition Challenge Period Ended Yesterday at 5:00 P.M.

As the clock yesterday in the Voter Services Division of the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics (DCBOEE) was approaching 5:00 p.m., some D.C. voters were busy putting their finishing touches on their paper work for challenges to the nominating petitions of Democratic candidates for the September 14 Primary Election.

Valencia Mohammad filed challenges to the nominating petitions of mayoral candidates Carlos Allen and Sulaimon Brown and Dorothy Brizill and Gary Imhoff filed a challenge to mayoral candidate Leo Alexander’s petition. Chairman of the Council candidate Calvin Gurley’s nominating petition was challenged by Alonzo Edmondson.

Four challenges were filed to the nominating petitions of the five candidates seeking the Ward 5 City Council seat currently held by Harry Thomas, Jr. Cynthia M. Gill filed a challenge to Kathy Henderson’s petition; D.C. lawyer Cary Clennon is challenging Delano Hunter’s petition; and candidate Henderson is challenging both Kenyan McDuffie and Tracey D. Turner. Ward 6 Council candidate Randy Brown’s petition is being challenged by Jim Abely.

According to the DCBOEE election calendar http://www.dcboee.org/popup.asp?url=/pdf_files/Draft_Sep_2010.pdf for the Primary, the DCBOEE has until August 3 to determine the validity of the challenges. And August 6 is the last day for a challenger or any candidate named in a challenge to apply to the D.C. Court of Appeals for review.

Over the next few days, it will be interesting to see if any of the challenges are withdrawn by the challengers based on lack of evidence to challenge or “behind the scenes” negotiations between the candidates and challengers. It has happened before.