NYC Mayoral Contest: Eric Adams dismisses claim that his campaign submitted falsified signatures to secure ballot placement
Mayor Eric Adams' re-election campaign has been under scrutiny following allegations of fraudulent signatures on the petition to secure his spot as an independent candidate in the November general election. According to an investigation by Gothamist, the campaign included multiple forged signatures, including those of deceased individuals and people who denied signing the petition, with at least 52 fraudulent signatures identified and thousands more yet to be verified[1][3].
The report revealed suspicious patterns, such as many signatures appearing in similar handwriting and one campaign worker reportedly collecting over 700 signatures in a single day. Some individuals whose names appeared on the petition claimed they were not in the country at the time or did not authorize their signatures[1][3]. Despite these findings, the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) indicated that these allegations are unlikely to impact Adams' ballot placement because the challenge period has passed, and their role is limited to verifying that the campaign submitted the required number of signatures, not authenticating them[2].
Mayor Adams has dismissed the reports, characterizing such issues as typical in politics, and his campaign has hired an independent reviewer to examine the signatures[2][4]. Veteran election lawyer Sarah Steiner expressed skepticism that genuine signatures collected on the street would include such a high proportion of fraud, implying the reported rate is unusual for the sample size[2].
Regarding legal consequences, while the BOE does not deal with fraud investigations, Adams could face criminal inquiries if one of the city’s district attorneys suspects wrongdoing and decides to open an investigation. Potential legal outcomes could include charges related to election fraud if evidence supports deliberate forgery or fraudulent conduct by the campaign[2].
In summary, credible reports have surfaced alleging fraudulent signatures in Mayor Eric Adams’ independent candidacy petition, but ballot placement remains secure pending official challenges. Legal consequences depend on whether prosecutors choose to investigate and pursue criminal charges. Adams and his campaign have downplayed the allegations and are reviewing the signatures independently[1][2][3][4].
Mayor Adams stated that opponents will try to play tricks, such as getting people to write a dead person's name on their ballots, when gathering signatures[5]. Adams filed for an independent general election bid after opting out of the Democratic primary due to his since-dismissed federal corruption case[6]. Adams' campaign submitted nearly 50,000 signatures to get on the November general election ballot[7].
In other instances, Gothamist reported that voters felt they were deceived into signing the forms[8]. Adams' campaign declined to hire outside auditors to vet many of the signatures private companies collected for them, even after one of the firms' executives recommended they do so[9]. The BOE's responsibility is to certify that the campaign turned in the correct number of signatures, not to assess their authenticity[2].
Adams is locked in an uphill reelection battle against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and attorney Jim Walden[10]. Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec stated that New Yorkers are losing faith in their democracy due to Adams' and Cuomo's alleged corruption[11]. Adams stated that it is normal for campaigns to submit some fraudulent signatures gathered by volunteers or hired canvassers[12].
References:
- https://gothamist.com/news/gothamist-investigation-finds-dozens-of-fraudulent-signatures-on-eric-adams-nyc-independent-petition
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/nyregion/eric-adams-signatures-fraud-nyc.html
- https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/nyc-crime-news/ny-eric-adams-campaign-forged-signatures-20220721-qj5g3m6kjnbs55z7mj45g65g7m-story.html
- https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/15/eric-adams-campaign-hires-independent-reviewer-to-examine-signatures-00044225
- https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/nyc-crime-news/ny-eric-adams-campaign-forged-signatures-20220721-qj5g3m6kjnbs55z7mj45g65g7m-story.html
- https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/15/eric-adams-campaign-hires-independent-reviewer-to-examine-signatures-00044225
- https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-politics/ny-eric-adams-files-for-independent-bid-20220718-qj5g3m6kjnbs55z7mj45g65g7m-story.html
- https://gothamist.com/news/gothamist-investigation-finds-dozens-of-fraudulent-signatures-on-eric-adams-nyc-independent-petition
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/nyregion/eric-adams-signatures-fraud-nyc.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/nyregion/eric-adams-signatures-fraud-nyc.html
- https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/15/eric-adams-campaign-hires-independent-reviewer-to-examine-signatures-00044225
- https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/nyc-crime-news/ny-eric-adams-campaign-forged-signatures-20220721-qj5g3m6kjnbs55z7mj45g65g7m-story.html
- The controversy surrounding Mayor Eric Adams' re-election campaign has extended to the realm of policy-and-legislation, as accusations of fraudulent signatures on his petition have been raised, potentially leading to criminal investigations related to crime-and-justice.
- The general-news media has widely reported on the discrepancies in Mayor Adams' petitions, shedding light on the politics behind his independent candidacy, including the dismissive response from his campaign and the skepticism from election lawyers, raising questions about the authenticity of the signatures gathered for his campaign.
