Kate Delany, Head of South Jersey Progressive Democrats, Challenges Nominating Petitions of Possible Phantom Candidates

On April 7, 2022, Kate Delany, head of South Jersey Progressive Democrats, submitted a challenge to the nominating petitions for county commissioner filed by Ann Klein and Anthony Ferrante for the primary election. In her challenge sent to Camden County Clerk Joseph Ripa and Secretary of State Tahesha Way, Delany lists a host of concerns including possible same hand signers, Republican and unregistered signers, and a potential instance of forgery.

Delany states that the county commissioner candidate Anthony Ferrante is not a registered Democrat and thus is ineligible to run in the primary though he signed 3 separate petition sheets, certifying he was a Democrat. Delany also lists 10 signers whose names and addresses appear inconsistent with those in the voter rolls.

Delany asserts that 27 petition signatures on the Klein/Ferrante appear to be in the same hand. The nominating petition itself states that “each signature and address must be written (and printed) in the signer’s own handwriting.” Additionally, prior to filing, petition circulators swear an oath that all signers did so in their own handwriting and that the petition “is prepared and filed in absolute good faith.” In her challenge letter, Delany also provides a signed statement from one person named in the Klein/Ferrante who says she did not sign the Klein/Ferrante petition and that her name on that petition is a forgery.

On April 10, 2019, Camden County Clerk Ripa authored a determination letter on a challenged petition which stated that a petition must be rejected in its entirety where there is “fraud in [its] making,” including instances where a candidate-circulator falsely certifies about the way signatures were collected. The candidate, Ann Klein, served as the circulator for each sheet of the Klein/Ferrante petition.

Though Klein and Ferrante filed under the slogan “Real South Jersey Progressives,” Delany asserts that 10 of their signers are actually registered Republicans. Ann Klein ran before, didn’t campaign or maintain a website or social media presence–all behavior inconsistent with that of a good faith candidate.

Phantom candidates have long been a feature of Camden County primary ballots. The practice of recruiting spoilers to siphon votes from real candidates appears to date back to 2010. Only three sets of petitions were filed for the office of county commissioners this year—those  of incumbents Ed McDonnell and Carmen Rodriguez, those of South Jersey Progressive Democrat challengers Rebecca Holloway and Wim Schrieks, as well as the Klein/Ferrante petition. According to the NJ statutory timeline for the primary election, a ruling on challenged petitions must be made by April 13, 2022, the day before the ballot draw.