Republicans: Yorktown Candidates Force Primary for Independence Line in September

Yorktown Republican Town Committee's endorsed candidates have turned in more than 190 "Opportunity to Ballot" (OTB) signatures, forcing a primary for the Independence Line for town supervisor, town board and highway superintendent.

The primary will be held on Sept. 10. 

"Due to down county political deals, the party bosses hand-picked one candidate for each office," Councilman Terrence Murphy said. "The people of Yorktown however, have said 'no deal.' Now the voters of the Independence Party will have a choice in September on who should carry their standard."

In order to run as a write-in candidate, a candidate must collect signatures and file Opportunity to Ballot petitions with the Board of Elections.

"I hope we won't see the political brinksmanship by our opponents to try and disenfranchise the voices of those who want to fulfill their basic right of choosing their elected officials," Murphy said.

The 2013 Independence Party Opportunity to Ballot petitions were submitted for Supervisor Michael Grace, who is seeking reelection as town supervisor; Councilman Murphy and Dorothy Forcina, for town board; and Greg Bernard, highway superintendent candidate. 

Opportunity to Ballot petitions were also submitted for the Independence line for County Executive, County Legislator District 1, County Legislator District 4 and on the Conservative line for Town Supervisor, Town Board and Highway Superintendent.

"The town of Yorktown has a reputation for having a highly engaged electorate, as one of the only towns in the entire state to have held at least one September primary per year since 2005," Murphy said in a statement. "Statewide, Yorktown has been home to two of the handful of successful Opportunity to Ballot write-in efforts in the past decade, Testa and Murphy in 2011 and Senator Greg Ball in 2010."