Opinion ID: 2397006
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Stringent Signature Requirements

Text: Candidates next challenge the application of the stringent signature requirements that this Court has upheld in recent cases. In In re Nomination Petition of Silcox, 543 Pa. 647, 674 A.2d 224 (1996), we held that an elector who signs a nomination petition must personally write his occupation, place of residence and date on the petition. Candidates aver that [t]raditionally, the name was signed by the person, but the circulator would often fill in the rest of the information. Brief of Appellant at 44. Although we recognized that the Election Code must be construed liberally, we noted that Section 908 of the Election Code, 25 P.S. § 2868, provides in relevant part that each elector shall add his residence, giving city, borough or township, with street and number, if any, and shall also add the date of signing, expressed in words or numbers.... 25 P.S. § 2868 (emphasis added). Based on the plain meaning of the statute we affirmed the Order of the Commonwealth Court that struck the candidate's nomination petition. In In re Nomination Petition of Flaherty, 564 Pa. 671, 770 A.2d 327 (2001), we struck printed names on a nominating petition that did not match the electors' signature on their voter registration cards, struck signatures where the electors' addresses did not match the address on their voter registration cards, and struck signatures where the circulator was not present when each elector signed. We noted that [e]lectors are required to sign their name to a candidate's nomination petition as a means of preventing forgery and assuring that each elector personally signs the petition with an understanding of what he is signing. Id. at 332. We further stated: A person's name as signed is perceived to be an insignia used by that person to represent herself and generally is made in a manner that is not easily traceable, as in the case of the person's printed name. Given this difference, as well as the importance of insuring the integrity of the election process, we find that in stating that a person must sign the nomination petition, the General Assembly intended that a person make that insignia that the person uses to represent herself, rather than print her name. Id. at 333. With regard to the requirement that the elector's address on the petition match the address on the voter registration card, we held that absent extraordinary circumstances, an individual who signs a nomination petition that lists an address other than the one provided on his voter registration card is not a qualified elector. We also abrogated prior case law, including In re Nomination Petition of Martin, 435 Pa. 446, 257 A.2d 247 (1969), and held that a circulator must be present to witness the signing of a nomination petition. The Candidates suggest that the impact of these decisions on collecting signatures for Nomination Papers for a national election is onerous, and point to the fact that in this case, 25,697 signatures are required for ballot access. They aver that the signature requirements set forth in Silcox and Flaherty unduly burden ballot access in violation of the Federal Voting Rights Act (Federal Voting Law) and the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The Candidates' note that the Federal Voting Law provides: No person acting under color of law shall deny the right of any individual to vote in any election because of an error or omission on any record or paper relating to any application, registration, or other act requisite to voting, if such error or omission is not material in determining whether such individual is qualified under State law to vote in such election ... 42 U.S.C. § 1971(a)(2)(B) (emphasis added). Reliance on this section of the Voting Rights Act is misplaced because Silcox and Flaherty do not concern the right of an individual to vote. Rather, they explain the steps that a candidate must take in order to be properly placed on a ballot. The Candidates further assert that the signature requirements impact upon their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights to association. They urge this Court to decline to apply our recent holdings interpreting the signature requirements of the Election Code. Candidates point out that while they need to gather more than 25,000 signatures, a candidate running for the Pennsylvania Senate needs to gather only 500 signatures. They argue that the signature requirements, although strict, are not burdensome when a candidate is running for a state position, but rise to the level of being too burdensome when, as here, more than 25,000 are required. They fail to note that they can request signature support from every registered voter of the Commonwealth while trying to gain the necessary signatures, while those running for a state office may gather only signatures of registered voters within their district. Instead of providing any support for their contention, Candidates merely repeat that our current case law imposes an onerous burden. They fail to provide, and we likewise fail to find, any authority holding that such signature requirements are unconstitutional. Further, as noted by the Commonwealth Court, establishing a lesser standard for the Candidates likely implicates significant equal protection issues. See Commonwealth Court Opinion dated August 30, 2004, at 8. We cannot justify applying one set of standards to the Candidates and more exacting requirements to all other persons seeking ballot access. We believe that Candidates have done nothing more than baldly assert a violation of their First Amendments rights in an attempt to secure relief on a claim lacking validity. Because we find their claim utterly lacking merit, we decline to engage in a substantive analysis of their allegations of ballot access violations.