GOSHEN – Scott Smith is running for the 18th Congressional District seat as a SAM (Serve America Movement) candidate, but the State Board of Elections apparently erred and listed him on ballots as a member of the Libertarian Party and the SAM Party.
Smith said he has never been registered with the Libertarian Party.
The Republican candidate, Chele Farley, took the case to State Supreme Court seeking to have corrected ballots printed. Smith had filed his own court action in support of Farley’s challenge.
On Thursday, afternoon, the the Supreme Court dismissed the suit and said those who voted for Smith on the Libertarian line will be counted in his final tally.
Farley is disappointed with the court’s decision.
“This was not an error made by any of the three candidates in the race, but it was also not our duty to catch. It was the responsibility of the New York State Board of Elections to check party registration, but they are overwhelmed and understaffed,” she said. “Thanks to sudden changes in the political calendar and response to COVID-19, this massive influx of absentee ballots as well as new early voting, there are lots of major mistakes like this one that managed to slip through the cracks.”
“The issue is for the York State Board of Elections to resolve who clearly made a compound error, overlooking both the absence of a Wilson-Pakula authorization from the New York State Libertarian Committee, and the absence of a certificate of acceptance from the candidate,” said Smith. “I support my opponent’s effort to see the error corrected.”
The 18th CD seat is currently held by Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, who is seeking re-election in the three-way race.
The district encompasses all of Orange and Putnam counties and portions of Dutchess and Westchester counties.
