Candidate files suit to get on mayoral ballot
ABQ resident alleges clerk’s office wrongly disqualified signatures
Retired Old Town resident Stella Padilla has filed a lawsuit against Albuquerque City Clerk Natalie Howard in a last-ditch effort to get her name on the Oct. 3 ballot for mayor.
Padilla was one of 16 candidates who filed to run for mayor. But in order to qualify to get their names on the ballot, candidates were required to submit signatures from 3,000 registered city voters by April 28. According to the city clerk’s office, nine candidates met that requirement. Padilla, however, came 171 valid signatures short of qualifying for the mayoral ballot, according to the city clerk’s website.
Padilla filed the lawsuit on her own behalf in state District Court on Friday. In the lawsuit, she states that she submitted more than 4,000 signatures, but the clerk’s office wrongly disqualified many of her signatures.
“The process of vetting the nominating petitions by the city clerk and staff is inaccurate and is deeply flawed...,” Padilla alleges in her suit.
“There are no standard operating procedures or administrative procedures approved by the City Council concerning the process and procedure of the city clerk and staff vetting nominating petitions,” the lawsuit states. “It is at best a hit and
miss and arbitrary process left to the competency and potential individual discretion/bias of the person reviewing each page at the city clerk’s office.”
The lawsuit alleges that several valid signatures were deemed “not legible,” while other valid signatures were thrown out because signers were deemed to not be registered or not reside in the city.
Through a spokesperson, the city attorney’s office said it is reviewing the complaint and preparing an appropriate response.
Padilla did not respond to messages seeking comment left for her Monday and Tuesday. But in her lawsuit, Padilla contends that the city clerk’s decision to keep her off the ballot harms the right of the citizens to nominate and vote for the candidate of their choice.
The lawsuit seeks a court order to force Howard to include Padilla’s name on the ballot.
“Let the will of the people decide as a flawed system and processes the city clerk is using will disenfranchise the voters of the great city of Albuquerque,” the lawsuit states.