The D.C. Republican Party is claiming that the party’s candidate to fill an at-large council seat was the subject of “alarming” scrutiny by the Board of Elections and Ethics, which will issue a ruling later Tuesday that could throw Patrick Mara off the ballot.
The board is supposed to have three sitting members with at least one representing a minority party. But it currently only has two members, both of whom are Democrats.
To qualify for the ballot, candidates needed to submit 3,000 signatures. Mara submitted 5,629 last month, but after challenges was left with 3,182. He was given preliminary approval to remain on the ballot on March 7.
But on Friday the elections board informed Mara that board staff members had discovered signatures on his petition that they deemed potentially fraudulent. If the board rules Tuesday that they were, then Mara could fall below the 3,000-signature threshold and be removed from the ballot for the April 26 special election.
Mara’s attorney, Charlie Spies, told reporters that he believes other candidates’ petitions were not given the same level of scrutiny and Mara has been treated unfairly.
“The board is pulling out all the stops with a results oriented process to find a way to throw Patrick Mara off the ballot,” Spies said.
“Everyone in the inner circle views Patrick as a threat and that’s the political answer to it,” said D.C. GOP excecutive director Paul Craney.
