Ford may have a shot as a write-in candidate

Ford may have a shot as a write-in candidate

By Ed Richter | Friday, August 21, 2009, 03:38 PM

Two years ago when Leslie Ford filed her petitions to run for the final two years of William “Kip” Moore’s term, everything went smoothly in filing her petitions. In fact, she ran unopposed and was elected.

However, that’s not the case two years later as Ford learned Tuesday, Aug. 18 that nearly half of the signatures she submitted on her petitions were invalid as she is seeking to run for a full, four-year term on Middletown City Council.

But if Ford wants any shot of keeping her council seat, she’ll have to do it hard way — by running as a write-in candidate.

In order to run as a write-in candidate, Ford would have to formally withdraw her petitions from the race before the county Board of Elections meets on Tuesday, Aug. 25 to certify petitions for the fall elections, said Betty McGary, Butler County elections director.

McGary said Ford will also have to file a declaration of intent by 4 p.m. Sept. 2. According to McGary, declarations of intent do not require signatures of registered voters.

As a write-in candidate, Ford’s name will not be on the actual ballot but anyone who writes her name on the ballot will be counted by the elections board.

McGary sent an email to Ford to inform her of this option on Friday, Aug. 21. When contacted by The Journal, Ford said, “yes, if that works out (as a write-in candidate), I’d like to give that a shot.”

On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Ford was informed by the county Board of Elections that most of the signatures on the petitions she filed were invalid for a number of reasons including registered voters who were not living at the address they gave.

While in some communities, such as Jacksonburg, write-in candidates are not unusual. However, in the past 16 years, no write-in candidate has been elected to Middletown City Council, according to county elections board records.

If Ford decides to formally withdraw from the race and take the write-in option, perhaps she might want to get a copy of her petitions and go back to the people who signed them who were ruled invalid and educate them about getting their voter registration records updated.