{"id":4586,"date":"2026-07-08T23:04:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4586"},"modified":"2026-07-08T23:04:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:04:45","slug":"judge-weighs-putting-gop-candidates-back-on-primary-ballot-amid-signature-fraud-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4586","title":{"rendered":"Judge weighs putting GOP candidates back on primary ballot amid signature fraud allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LAWRENCE \u2014 A state judge is considering whether to reinstate two Republican candidates to their primary ballot this September on technical grounds, after a state commission ruled that hundreds of voter signatures the pair submitted were likely fraudulent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more \u2018With all due respect\u2019: Markey, Moulton trade barbs in heated first debate of Mass. Senate primary<\/a><\/p>\n

The case in Essex Superior Court hinges on signatures collected for Anne Manning Martin, a lieutenant governor candidate, and Michael Walsh, the party\u2019s endorsed pick for attorney general, that one lawyer representing state officials said were produced through \u201csystematic fraud.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Attorneys for Walsh and Manning Martin argued in court Wednesday that the State Ballot Law Commission, which tossed them from the ballot last month, shouldn\u2019t have been allowed to consider challenges to their signatures because those challenging them did not properly notify them about the objections. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During a court hearing, Judge Jeffrey T. Karp said there is \u201csome merit\u201d to the candidates\u2019 argument because state law includes strict guidelines for how a signature challenge should be handled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow is it that the commission can just ignore what the Legislature has clearly stated?\u201d Karp said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Massachusetts law requires any person challenging signatures on a candidate\u2019s nomination papers to send their objection to the candidate by certified mail, with return receipt requested, no later than the day after the objection is filed with the state. Failure to follow those rules \u201cshall invalidate any objection,\u201d according to state law.<\/span><\/p>\n

In court documents, Manning Martin said challenges to her signatures, filed by Adam Roof, the Massachusetts Democratic Party\u2019s executive director, and Shawn Oliver, another Republican running for lieutenant governor, did not comply with state law.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walsh said Roof originally claimed to have sent the objection to Walsh by certified mail, but later said a deputy in the Democratic party \u201cattempted but failed to send all of the envelopes by certified mail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Karp pressed an attorney representing the commission, David Mackey, on how he could \u201csimply just ignore a direct statement from the Legislature.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it would take a lot for \u2026 a Superior Court judge to ignore that, when the Legislature\u201d has spoken, Karp said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mackey argued that the \u201ckey test\u201d is whether \u201cstrict adherence to the procedural requirement of certified mail\u201d overrides the commission\u2019s primary purpose, which is \u201cavoidance of voter fraud.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo disqualify the objections here based on certified mail requirements . . . would then allow names to appear on the ballot as a result of, in our view, plain and obvious signature fraud,\u201d Mackey told Karp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary-Ellen Manning, Anne Manning Martin\u2019s sister and lawyer, said Karp\u2019s ruling is \u201ca big decision. But it\u2019s very simple.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe State Ballot Law Commission is governed by statute. It\u2019s a creature of statute. It must operate in accordance with the statutory jurisdiction,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Second person in 4 days is fatally shot in Memphis by federal task force member<\/a><\/p>\n

The two sides are expected to return to court Thursday. Karp said he hopes to issue a ruling in the case by Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

In its decision last month, the State Ballot Law Commission found that hundreds of signatures turned in by Manning Martin and Walsh were likely written by the same person and appeared in the same order as a database of voters in Weymouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

In interviews with the Globe, a dozen people whose signatures appeared on the two candidates\u2019 nomination papers said they did not sign the sheets.<\/span><\/p>\n

The signature controversy has spawned two investigations by district attorneys in Norfolk and Plymouth Counties, the Globe reported. Submitting fraudulent signatures is illegal in Massachusetts, with punishments ranging from a $1,000 fine to up to a year in jail.<\/span><\/p>\n

In court documents ahead of Wednesday\u2019s hearing, Mackey accused Joe Bronske, the paid signature gatherer hired by Manning Martin and Walsh, of engaging \u201cin a systematic \u2014 although ultimately obvious and easily detected \u2014 fraud\u201d by forging signatures to help the two candidates make the September primary ballot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mackey also argued that Walsh and Manning Martin are ultimately responsible for Bronske\u2019s actions because their campaigns hired him. Bronske has not responded to repeated requests for comment over the past month.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Walsh\u2019s case, Mackey said Walsh \u201cadmits to having personally examined his nomination papers before submitting them.\u201d And for Manning Martin, Mackey said she is \u201cbound by the acts\u201d of Bronske, regardless of whether she knew if the signatures were fraudulent. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBronske\u2019s actions in forging those signatures \u2014 even if never explicitly authorized by Manning-Martin \u2014 were within the scope of his duties as Manning Martin\u2019s signature collector. Those actions are therefore attributed to Manning-Martin as a matter of law,\u201d Mackey wrote in court documents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary-Ellen Manning said no voters were brought to testify before the state commission to verify their signatures were forged.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no testimony from anyone at all. You can\u2019t deny that,\u201d Mary-Ellen Manning said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walsh said he has denied the fraud allegations, but when pressed whether he indeed submitted documents that had fake signatures, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Bronske ought to go to jail, but there\u2019s not enough evidence in this case,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump says US will give Ukraine license to produce Patriot defense systems<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Superior Court judge is considering whether to reinstate two Republican candidates to their party\u2019s primary ballot this fall on technical grounds, after a state commission ruled last month that hundreds of voter signatures the pair submitted were likely fraudulent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nJudge weighs putting GOP candidates back on primary ballot amid signature fraud allegations - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4586\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judge weighs putting GOP candidates back on primary ballot amid signature fraud allegations - 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