Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

ballot petitioning

ballot petitioning

  • Safely Getting Signatures in a Pandemic?

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    Volunteers petitioning (photo: @INDBrooklyn)


    Today — Tuesday, March 2, 2021 — thousands of people are taking to the streets across the five boroughs. Armed with facemasks, gloves, hand sanitizer, more pens than you can imagine, and stacks of inconveniently-long papers, these determined New Yorkers have made the decision to participate in our democratic system by collecting petition signatures to help get candidates on the ballot. 

    Many of them, however, did not make this decision of their own volition. Instead, they were given an ultimatum by our

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  • Brooklyn Candidates Say Democratic Party Leaders Booted Them from Ballot for Not Gathering More Signatures During Pandemic

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    Christina Das and John Wasserman collecting petition signatures in March (Wasserman's Facebook)


    Two Brooklyn candidates say their names were removed from the June ballot for party positions in retaliation for pushing back against local Democratic officials asking them to canvass during the pandemic as one of them experienced coronavirus-like symptoms.   

    John Wasserman and Christina Das — who were running for reelection as 42nd Assembly District Alternative Judicial Delegate and Judicial Delegate, respectively — believe they were kicked

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  • Candidates Want Your Vote. They Need Your Signature First

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    John Catsimatidis with his petitions in 2013 (photo: @JCats2013)


    “Almost petitioning time!!!” tweeted Bill de Blasio’s re-election campaign communications director, Monica Klein, on Friday afternoon. Klein isn’t the only one excited and ready to go, as a key period begins Tuesday in the path toward September’s primary elections and November’s Election Day.

    On Tuesday, June 6, New York City residents will start seeing more than the usual number of

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