NJ.com published the following article on 4/04/2014. To read the full article, click here.

State judge rules Trenton election can go forward despite certification error

Jenna Pizzi | April 04, 2014

The city’s May 13 election for council and mayoral candidates may go ahead as scheduled, despite an error that left many candidates with an insufficient number of signature petitions, Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ruled today.

Although the specific mistake has never before been seen in the state, Jacobson said there is some precedent from past rulings from the state Supreme Court allowing the rigid requirements for elections to be relaxed in favor of what is in the best interests of the voting public.

She said moving forward with the election would avoid confusion for voters or any irregularity in the council or mayoral representation city residents receive.

The decision follows three weeks of suspense following the discovery that City Clerk Richard Kachmar miscalculated the number of signature petitions the candidates needed, causing them to gather too few. Before the mistake was discovered, 25 candidates for mayor and council had been certified to be placed on the ballot.

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