Elections Supervisor Takes Legal Action to Disqualify Congressional Candidate Ida Smith

On Thursday, Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes filed a complaint in Superior Court, asking that Ida Smith's nomination petition for Delegate to Congress be disqualified. After initially being disqualified by the Elections Supervisor due to deficiencies with her nomination paperwork, Ms. Smith appealed to the Board of Elections, saying that Ms. Fawkes had incorrectly relied on prevailing local law, instead of the Constitution of the United States. The question of whether or not Ms. Smith is eligible delayed the Board's ballot approval process, with members deciding to seek legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General before making a decision one way or another. By way of a letter to the board, Senate-confirmed Attorney General nominee Gordon Rhea recommended that Ms. Smith be allowed onto the ballot, and Board of Elections members – in a contentious meeting – voted in early September to restore her candidacy in keeping with Mr. Rhea's recommendation. The board also voted t...