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Judge rules against Babinec ballot line suit

Madison County Board of Elections
A sample ballot for voters in the Madison County shows how independent Martin Babinec's Upstate Jobs Party line has been placed on the Libertarian line. Babinec had unsuccessfully sued to give the party its own line on the ballot.

A New York state judge has ruled against 22nd Congressional District candidate Martin Babinec in a case related to the party he created for his independent run.

When the entrepreneur petitioned for endorsements from the 22nd District's Republican county committees earlier this year, he found little success. So Babinec exited the race and created his own party. Babinec's campaign collected 10,000 signatures to establish the Upstate Jobs Party.

Bbut most of the district's county boards of election did not give the Upstate Jobs Party its own line on the ballot. Instead, they placed it on the Libertarian line, because there was not enough room on the ballot, according to an Oswego County Board of Elections commissioner. And there is no Libertarian Party candidate for the congressional seat.

Babinec sued, arguing that it disenfranchised thousands of voters and therefore the ballots should have been reprinted. 

Credit Madison County Board of Elections

Babinec, who is also on the Reform Party line, is running against Assemblywoman Claudia Ttenney (R-New Hartford) and Democratic Broome County Llegislator Kim Myers. Retiring Rep. Richard Hanna (R-Barneveld) currently represents the 22nd District, which spans across the Mohawk Valley into the Southern Tier. 

Payne Horning is a reporter and producer, primarily focusing on the city of Oswego and Oswego County. He has a passion for covering local politics and how it impacts the lives of everyday citizens. Originally from Iowa, Horning moved to Muncie, Indiana to study journalism, telecommunications and political science at Ball State University. While there, he worked as a reporter and substitute host at Indiana Public Radio. He also covered the 2015 session of the Indiana General Assembly for the statewide Indiana Public Broadcasting network.