New York, New York (July 11, 2008)-- Luke Henry announced today that his campaign has submitted 3016 petition signatures to the New York City Board of Elections, substantially more than the 500 signatures required to appear on the ballot. This robust display of community support is a critically important first step in the effort to unseat Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
"I am pleased to say that I now have the signatures necessary to appear on the ballot and give the voters of the 64th Assembly district a real choice on Sept. 9," said Henry. "Our strong grassroots petition-gathering effort demonstrates that voters in the district are excited to have a choice of Democrats to send to Albany for the first time in 22 years. The level of dedication displayed by volunteers and supporters during this process is exactly what will be required to successfully guide the campaign through the next phase of the race," he added.
Despite the large number of signatures collected, because of New York's outdated and needlessly onerous petition requirements, it will be some time before Henry is officially placed on the ballot. The campaign is confident that the sheer numbers of signatures collected--well over six times the 500 signatures required--will allow it to prevail if challenged.
The campaign worked with petitioning expert Alan Zimmerman, who specializes in helping candidates overcome New York's outdated petition requirements and gain access to the ballot. Zimmerman has brought over 35 years of New York political experience to the Henry team. He worked in close coordination with a grassroots network of volunteers. No campaign for which Zimmerman has directed the petitioning operation has ever failed to get onto the ballot.
