The state Board of Elections voted Tuesday to review all the signatures submitted by Sabina Matos’ campaign in Rhode Island 1st Congressional District, arguing the step is necessary to bolster public confidence.
The vote came on a 5-to-2 tally, with opponents, including BOE Chairwoman Diane Mederos, arguing that it was too late for the board to review votes.
The panel initially voted two weeks ago to refer the issue to Attorney General Peter Neronha, who said his focus would be to investigate possible wrongdoing, not to review hundreds of signatures. At the time, the BOE said it had insufficient time to act, given a short window to print overseas and military ballots, but critics faulted the panel for not addressing the issue directly.
In hindsight, it was a mistake to not initiate a review two weeks ago, said BOE member Jennie Johnson. While she put the number of egregiously troubled signatures for Matos at fewer than two-dozen, compared to more than 700 considered valid, “voters deserve there not to be a cloud over this process,” she said.
Matos’ campaign came under scrutiny last month amid reports that some of the signatures collected to get her on the ballot came from deceased people and others who said they had not signed her nomination papers.
The motion to initiate the signature review came from Elections Board member Randall Jackvony, who expressed concern that the signature controversy could cause some people to lose faith in the political process.
Board member Louis A. DeSimone Jr. echoed that concern, saying, “We’re in a situation where there’s an election. I think the people have to be assured of the integrity of that election and they have to be assured that everyone’s involved in the election has done so legally.”
The two Elections Board members who voted against the review, Mederos and David H. Sholes, defended the board’s original decision to refer the signature issue to Neronha, saying the attorney general has the tools to investigate possible fraud.
“In my mind, the signature verification process ended July 21,” Mederos added. “The ballots have been printed and mailed to overseas voters and early voting begins next week.”
The board’s longtime lawyer, Raymond Marcoccio, questioned the momentum for a review, citing the large number of signatures collected by Matos’ campaign that are considered valid.
Matos has tried to distance herself from the signature controversy, arguing that a field worker who no longer works for her campaign was responsible for violating her trust.
Matos is among 12 Democrats running for the seat formerly held by U.S. Rep. David Cicilline.
In a statement, Matos’ campaign said, “The Board of Elections and Secretary of State determined that the campaign had more than enough signatures certified by the local Boards of Canvassers to ensure Lt. Governor Matos’ place on the ballot. Rhode Islanders deserve to have confidence in our democratic process. We too want to understand what transpired with our nomination papers and we look forward to hearing the results of this review.”
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org.
