Voters planning to write-in Susan McGinnis? name for Oxford Village Council need not bother anymore.
It’s going to be printed on every single ballot.
Three signatures originally disqualified from her nominating petition were awarded to the Pleasant Street resident yesterday, giving her enough for a spot on the September 13 ballot.
‘I feel like a real candidate,? McGinnis said.
On July 22, she filed 29 petition signatures to run for the four-year council seat currently occupied by Tom Benner, who also filed as a candidate.
However, seven of McGinnis? signatures were disqualified because two were from non-village residents, two were not registered voters and three had also signed Benner’s petition.
Although the duplicate signatures were initially disqualified from both petitions, Benner still had 32 signers, more than enough to make the cut.
The signatures of at least 25 registered village voters are required for placement on the ballot as a council candidate.
With only 22 valid signatures, a mere three shy of the minimum, the village originally reported McGinnis would not appear on the ballot, prompting her to declare her candidacy as a write-in.
But a little research by this reporter changed all that.
According to state election law, ‘If a qualified and registered voter signs nominating petitions for a greater number of candidates for public office than the number of persons to be elected thereto, his signatures, if they bear the same date, shall not be counted upon any petition, and if they bear different dates shall be counted in the order of their priority of date for only so many candidates as there are persons to be elected.?
In other words, if two potential candidates circulate nominating petitions for one office and the same people sign both on the same date, those signatures are not counted on either petition.
But if the same people sign both petitions on different dates, then the candidate who received the signatures first can claim them, while the other candidate cannot.
The three duplicate signatures on both McGinnis and Benner’s petitions belonged to Councilman Steve Allen, Village President Renee Donovan and Oxford DDA board member Pastor Dave Gerber.
What saved McGinnis was the fact they all signed on different dates and they all signed hers first.
Allen, Donovan and Gerber signed McGinnis? petition on July 18.
Gerber and Allen signed Benner’s petition July 21 while Donovan signed his on July 22.
The addition of these three signatures gave McGinnis the 25 she needed to appear on the ballot.
‘It’s a relief,? she said. ‘Getting people to turn out (at the polls) is hard enough let alone getting them to write in a name.?
Monday, August 15 is the last day to register to vote in the September 13 village election. Those wishing to be write-in candidates must file a ‘declaration of intent? with the village clerk by 4 p.m. Friday, September 9.