After Matos scandal, more scrutiny of candidates' signatures
By Janine L. Weisman, Rhode Island Current
DiMario, running for her third term, had turned in 136 signatures as of the 4 p.m. deadline, according to the Secretary of State’s website. Signatures are validated by local boards of canvassers in the respective cities or towns where the districts are located. DiMario’s district spans Narragansett, New Shoreham and a portion of North Kingstown.
The names collected must be certified by the Secretary of State’s office before candidates for state and federal offices officially qualify to have their name on the ballot.
Candidates typically collect more signatures than necessary in case any are thrown out if they are found to be the names of voters registered in a different district or not registered at all. Or if they are dead people, as happened in a signature scandal that derailed Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos’s campaign in last year’s crowded Democratic primary for Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District seat.
But DiMario said she didn’t need to go overboard collecting more names.
“I want to be kind to our town staff who are working so hard to validate all of these signatures in a tight timeframe,” DiMario wrote via text.
A consultant hired last year by the Matos campaign is facing criminal charges for her role in the alleged signature fraud. The scandal resulted in a new state law that takes effect Jan. 1, 2025, requiring local election workers to notify state officials when they spot potentially fraudulent signatures. The legislation also clarifies the process by which the Rhode Island Board of Elections considers challenges of alleged fraud.
Another deadline for processing forms
Now that the submission deadline has passed, local boards have until 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 18, to process all nomination forms and update the signature count on the state website.
The names of candidates who qualify for the ballot will be included in the ballot placement lottery scheduled for Friday, July 19, at 5 p.m. at the Rhode Island Department of State’s Elections Division. The lottery will be streamed on Facebook. The names of candidates who have been endorsed by their political party automatically appear first in their races listed on the ballot.
Objections against state and federal candidates’ signatures can be made through July 19, which is also the deadline to withdraw from the primary ballot.
Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Sens. Hanna Gallo and Walter Felag have over 200 signatures, or more than double the required amount, according to preliminary data on the Secretary of State’s website.
Democrat Todd Patalano, a Cranston police major, shows 252 signatures in his attempt to fill the seat by exiting Sen. Frank Lombardi, who decided not to seek reelection to his District 26 seat. The Secretary of State’s website shows no signatures submitted by two Democratic candidates who filed papers to run for the seat, David Alden Sears and Robert Palumbo.
Twenty of the 38 Senate races and 41 of the 75 House races have only one candidate running.
A handful of state lawmakers chose not to seek reelection this year, or turned to campaigns for other seats in government. Sen. Joshua Miller, the Cranston Democrat, opted not to seek reelection to his District 28 seat after 17 years in office. Six candidates — all Democrats — filed paperwork to run, but only five submitted signatures by Friday at 4 p.m. The Secretary of State website shows no signatures were submitted by Christopher Lanen.
For the unopposed DiMario, the voyage to 100 John Hancocks included door knocking, community outreach, public singing events and a field trip to Block Island with Rep. Tina Spears to collect signatures from New Shoreham residents.
The process has become easier with each campaign, DiMario said. When she hit the campaign trail in 2020, COVID concerns still plagued social interaction. DiMario recalled handing out campaign-branded pens to let people sign her nomination forms, then letting people keep the pens to minimize worries about germs.
“It really is an entry-level, really easy way for people to be brought into the democratic process in a way that helps them be informed about who’s running,” DiMario said of gathering signatures. “I do find it to be a great way to engage your community and a really collaborative process.”
Congressional races shape up
Candidates in congressional races have more signatures to collect: 1,000 to run for U.S. Senate and 500 required for the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who is looking to secure a fourth term on Capitol Hill, went above and beyond, gathering 1,917 signatures to appear on the Democratic ballot for the Sept. 10 primary.
“Our team is thrilled by Rhode Islanders’ enthusiastic support for re-electing Sheldon to the U.S. Senate and we look forward to running a strong race through Nov. 5,” said campaign coordinator Laura Fusco.
Whitehouse’s potential primary opponent Michael J. Costa collected 1,013 signatures.
Two Republican challengers declared to run for Whitehouse’s seat.
Rep. Patricia Morgan, a West Warwick Republican who declined to seek reelection in the State House, turned in 1,180 signatures after putting out a call to action earlier in the day on social media when she was about 100 signatures shy of the 1,000 minimum.
Former Warwick City Administrator Raymond T. McKay, had 934 signatures showing as of Friday afternoon, still short of qualifying for the Republican primary ballot.
In the 1st Congressional District race, Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo had 1,112 signatures collected as of the 4 p.m. deadline, according to the Secretary of State’s public portal.
Amo’s campaign acknowledged a request for comment, but did not immediately respond. He is far ahead in signature gathering compared to Democratic challenger Eddy Medrano who only had 43 signatures. Republican challengers Allen Waters, who switched parties after coming in 10th in last year’s crowded Democratic primary, had collected 436 signatures while Jeffrey Lemire, who previously ran for the 1st Congressional District as an independent in 2016 and for Providence mayor in 2018, showed only 67 signatures.
In the 2nd Congressional District race, Democratic incumbent Rep. Seth Magaziner had 796 signatures. Steven Corvi, his GOP opponent in the general election, had 688.
“It was great to meet hundreds of Rhode islanders across the district these past 10 days,” Corvi posted on X. “We are excited and energized as we move forward towards November.”
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Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@rhodeislandcurrent.com. Follow Rhode Island Current on Facebook and X.
