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The race for Syracuse mayor has narrowed to three Democratic candidates after the Onondaga County Board of Elections disqualified two hopefuls. Alfonso Davis and Jimmy Oliver failed to secure enough valid signatures to appear on the June primary ballot, according to the board's announcement on Thursday (April 17). This leaves Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens, Councilor Chol Majok, and Councilor Pat Hogan to vie for the Democratic nomination.
Davis and Oliver were each about 200 signatures short of the required 1,000 valid signatures needed to qualify. Their petitions included signatures from individuals who were either not registered voters, not registered Democrats, or not residents of Syracuse. The petitions faced challenges from supporters of Owens, and neither Davis nor his campaign attended the hearing to contest the board's findings. Davis claimed the process was biased, but offered no evidence to support this claim. The board's decisions are made by both Democratic and Republican staff members, ensuring neutrality, as explained by Dustin Czarny, the Democratic elections commissioner for Onondaga County. Czarny stated, "One commissioner alone cannot make this decision," emphasizing the impartiality of the process.
Both Davis and Oliver have the option to appeal the decision in court by Monday (April 21) or pursue an independent ballot line for the November general election, which requires 1,443 signatures by May 27. Meanwhile, Thomas Babilon remains the only Republican candidate in the race.
The Democratic primary election is scheduled for June 24, with early voting from June 14 to June 22. The general election will take place on November 4.