Congressional Candidate Barred From Ballot
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The New York State Board of Elections has ruled that Jun Policarpio, a Queens congressional candidate accused of forging petition signatures, will not be allowed on the Republican ballot.
The decision was a partial vindication of his Republican opponent, Elizabeth Berney, who has called for a criminal investigation into Mr. Policarpio’s campaign. The Board of Elections did not address Ms. Berney’s charges but nevertheless ruled that Mr. Policarpio did not have enough valid signatures to stay on the ballot, according to both candidates.
Mr. Policarpio did stay on the Conservative Party ballot, despite Ms. Berney’s attempts to remove him. She also tried and failed to kick the Democratic incumbent, Gary Ackerman, off the Independence Party ballot.
Petition challenges are common in election campaigns, but the race for the 5th district congressional seat has been particularly acrimonious. Ms. Berney called for criminal charges last week against both Mr. Policarpio and Mr. Ackerman, accusing them of fabricating and copying petition signatures. Mr. Policarpio responded by calling for similar charges against Ms. Berney, who is the party-endorsed candidate.
