Layla Law-Gisiko thought her campaign for the City Council District 3 seat might be over. Two days ago she called Councilmember Chris Marte with what she believed was bad news: a legal challenge to her ballot petition had succeeded and she had been removed from the race. But the next day, the Board of Elections ruled the other way, rejecting the challenge and confirming that she would remain on the ballot in the April 28 special election to replace Erik Bottcher.

The challenge was filed by Jay Schaffner, a supporter of rival candidate Lindsey Boylan, who argued that the use of “NYC” violated election law provisions governing ballot names. The Board of Elections declined to remove Law-Gisiko from the ballot and the clerk’s report showed her campaign had submitted 1,989 signatures, with 1,816 deemed valid — well above the 450 required to qualify.

Marte told supporters about his phone call with Law-Gisiko. “She said, ‘Chris, I have terrible news. I’ve been kicked off the ballot,’” he recalled. Marte said the situation struck him as ironic, given the name of the ballot line at issue. “They were trying to kick ‘Affordable NYC’ off the ballot at a moment when people across this city are being priced out of their homes.”

In an interview with W42ST, Law-Gisiko said, “What happened in these past two days is so insane. This is Trumpian mixed with Tammany Hall politics — the worst of electoral politics.”  Defending against challenges like this can place a heavy burden on campaigns, she added. Candidates typically raise money to communicate with voters, and legal fights redirect those resources. Using these kinds of maneuvers to make campaigns bleed funds is “incredibly anti-democratic,” she said.

Former State Senator and City Councilmember Tom Duane, who also spoke at the rally, said ballot challenges once carried a reputational risk in New York politics. “In the good old days, there’d be a swipe taken if the person tried to knock someone off…you better knock them off, because you’re gonna look really bad when you don’t,” Duane said, adding that the idea that Law-Gisiko lacked community support — which is what the petition process is designed to demonstrate — was “completely and utterly absurd.”

Congressional candidate Nina Schwalbe, who is running for the NY-12 seat being vacated by Jerry Nadler, framed the dispute in terms of how petition signatures are collected. “We get out there and collect signatures from real people with volunteers,” she said. “People with a lot of money challenge those signatures, but what matters are real people and real signatures.”

The Board of Elections hearing also reshaped the race. Objections filed by Jeffrey LeFrancois, executive director of the Meatpacking District, a former chair of Manhattan Community Board 4 and supporter of candidate Carl Wilson, challenged petitions filed by Haris Bhatti and Jamin Enquist. After reviewing the filings, Board of Elections clerks found that three candidates — Bhatti, Enquist and Emily YueXin Miller — had failed to meet the 450-signature threshold and removed them from the ballot.

Bhatti addressed the commissioners during the hearing and argued that the challenges disproportionately targeted minority candidates. He noted that three of the seven candidates who filed to be on the ballot were challenged on signatures and said all three were minorities, adding that he believed he had been targeted because of his Asian ethnicity and race. Enquist and YueXin Miller did not attend the hearing to contest objections.

Commissioners also determined that Law-Gisiko’s ballot line, “Affordable NYC,” was too similar to the name filed by Boylan, “Affordable City.” Under election law, when two ballot names are considered potentially confusing to voters, the later-filing candidate must select a different name. Because Boylan filed later, she will be required to change the name of her independent body line.

Asked about Law-Gisiko’s criticism of the challenge process and the Board of Elections ruling, Boylan replied by email: “No comment.” LeFrancois, who filed objections with the Board, did not respond by the time of publication. We will update this story if he does.

Source: W41St.NY