Fraudulent signatures supporting Mayor Adams' re-election bid reveal lack of official enforcement

To be on the NYC voter ballot, mayoral candidates need to submit thousands of signatures, but no election official verifies them. The Board of Elections depends on challenges from rivals and voters post-submission. Mayor Eric Adams' campaign submitted nearly 50,000 signatures with alleged patterns of forgery that escaped detection. Most opponents, engaged in a crowded primary, lacked time to challenge the signatures. Investigations revealed issues with the current petitioning system, designed for the 19th century, raising concerns about its effectiveness in modern elections.

"Gothamist recently reviewed the signatures the Adams campaign submitted to the Board of Elections and spoke to dozens of New Yorkers who say their signatures were forged or that they were misled into signing."

"The lack of official enforcement and oversight allowed Mayor Eric Adams' campaign to submit documents with patterns of forgery and fraud that went unnoticed by election watchers, rival candidates, and - according to Adams - his own campaign."

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