Voting group asks Pa. candidates to play nice

Group asks parties and candidates not to use technicalities to push other candidates off the ballot.

A little-known voting rights group in Pennsylvania is asking candidates NOT to go over nomination petitions with a fine tooth comb.

“Vote PA” is calling on candidate to stop pouring over nomination petitions for minor errors in order to knock out the competition in a race. Marybeth Kuznik is Executive Director of the group. She says there needs to be some more shades of gray than just black and white when it comes to the petitions.

“If a voter who wants to sign a candidate petition accidentally writes his name or puts Bill instead of William or forgets to write Junior or Senior, the spaces on these petitions are very tiny and any elderly voters have a hard time and people with disabilities have a hard time physically writing in the tiny spaces on the petitions.”

The group is asking candidates not to go to court on minor technicalities. The Major parties have used technical challenges to remove independent and minor party candidates from the ballot in many states.