A pro-people politician and highly respected community leader, Dr. Akil Khalfani, has formally protested the outcome of the primary election conducted to chose the candidate of the Democratic Party for the Congressional District 10, New Jersey, United States of America (USA) seat in the House of Representatives.
Dr. Khalfani is insisting that based on the fact that he was the next highest candidate after the late Donald M. Payne Jr. who won the election, but whose votes on account of his unfortunate untimely demise are, by law, nullified, and also based on the outcome of his write-in campaign from which he secured enough votes as required by law, he should be listed as the Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives for the November General Election.
Citing relevant New Jersey Statutes, the political and social activist, has formally challenged the position presented to the Nation that late Congressman Payne won the election, and he is requesting the inclusion of his name on the General Election ballot as the Democratic Candidate.
According to a statement by his media office, Dr. Khalfani’s campaign team “has submitted all necessary and required documentation and seeks immediate certification from the Secretary of State’s Office for the total write-in ballot count by county.”
Giving a background to their protest, the statement said that “Akil Khalfani, a steadfast community Leader and Advocate, maintains a prominent international presence as College Professor, community servant, and published author. He has remained active in the congressional discourse with CD10 campaigns in 2020 and 2022. The passing of Representative Payne, whose name was the sole candidate on the June 4, 2024, primary ballot, created a vacancy under New Jersey election statutes. According to N.J.S.A. 19:27-10.1 and N.J.S.A. 19:3-27, the vacancy occurred less than 70 days before the primary election, so the Congressman’s name remained on the ballot. Consequently, votes cast for the late Representative Payne are void.”
Presenting the legal basis for their challenge, the Khalfani team said “New Jersey law stipulates that if the only candidate on a primary ballot dies before the election, the votes for that candidate are nullified. The candidate with the second highest number of votes is the winner for participating in the November General Election.
“N.J.S.A. 19:23-8.2: “Write-in candidates must receive a number of votes in the primary election at least equal to the number of signatures required on a nominating petition for that office.” while N.J.S.A. 19:14-2.1 talks about requirements for “Inclusion on general election ballot of candidate with votes in primary by irregular ballot or write-in vote.”
Meanwhile, the team says that Write-in campaign results show that Khalfani, who has been the Director, Africana Studies of Essex County College got 371 write-in votes in Hudson County and 341 write-in votes in Union County. In Essex County, Certification is pending.
“These vote totals meet and exceed the 200 signatures that would have been required for petitions to place a candidate’s name on the primary ballot as per N.J.S.A. 19:23-8.2, thus necessitating that Khalfani’s name be included on the November 2024 General Election ballot,” the statement stressed.
The team has as a result, requested the Secretary of State to intervene and ensure that the needful is done.
Commenting on the situation, Dr. Khalfani said: “Our community deserves strong advocacy and representation, especially during this crucial time. I am committed to ensuring that the people’s voices of Essex, Union, and Hudson counties are heard and represented in Congress. The
grassroots write-in support clearly demonstrates the people’s participation in our Democracy and New Jersey’s strong desire for committed and effective community-based leadership. We Are The Change.”
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Awesome!