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Stop the Challenges!

A Democratic political club in New York's East Village has taken an anti-Democratic turn. They have turned against Democrats, and they have turned against Democracy. They are attempting to rig the September 13th Democratic Primary by effectively barring women and people of color from the ballot.

Two members of the club have each filed eight challenges against candidates in the 2nd Council district. They have filed more challenges than anyone else in Manhattan, and have challenged the greatest number of Democrats citywide.

They tell us that too many candidates "clutter the field;" that voters don't know enough to make informed choices. They tell us that because they have a minority candidate, that race can't possibly be the driving force in their attacks. And maybe it's not. Maybe it's just a coincidence that almost everyone they challenged is of color.

But the fact is that they have challenged every other Latino, every other woman, and the only African-American in the race. The fact is that they are eliminating diversity from the ballot, and they are limiting voters' rights to choose.

I started this petition because I am dedicated to community service, and because rigging elections does a disservice to district residents. As a first generation American, I believe that the right to vote is the greatest privilege in America. And more than anything else, I believe that voters deserve the right to choose.

We, the undersigned, call on those club members of the Coalition for a District Alternative – who have challenged these candidates’ signatures – to simply drop their court challenges. And we, the undersigned, call on those who have challenged the Coalition's candidates to drop their challenges as well.

It's time we let the voters make the final decision!
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Links
Gotham Gazette: Ballot-Bumping, NYC's Bloodsport

http://www.gothamgazette.com/a...


Town & Village: 6 Council hopefuls could face boot from ballot

http://www.gurforcitycouncil.c...


The Villager: You’ve gotta fight for your right to run for your party

http://www.thevillager.com/vil...


The Village Voice: A Council race turns nasty when race and ballot access mix

http://www.villagevoice.com/ne...


US Department of Justice: Voting Rights Act

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/votin...


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Petition sponsor
Gur Tsabar, a candidate for Manhattan's 2nd City Council District, is dedicated to community service. His campaign is a vehicle for ideas and community action. To date, Gur’s campaign has helped start a library for an East Village elementary school, distributed tax assistance coupons for low-income families, orchestrated a rock concert to benefit tenants at risk of losing their affordable housing, conducted a clothing drive for domestic violence victims, and developed a small business resource guide for local entrepreneurs.

To read more about Gur and his campaign: http://www.gurforcitycouncil.c...
The views expressed in this petition are solely those of the petition's sponsor and do not in any way reflect the views of iPetitions. iPetitions is solely a provider of technical services to the petition sponsor and cannot be held liable for any damages or injury or other harm arising from this petition. In the event no adequate sponsor is named, iPetitions will consider the individual account holder with which the petition was created as the lawful sponsor.

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