By Tom Grace
Local boards of elections offices began accepting nominating petitions Monday, a process that will culminate at 5 p.m. Thursday.
``We've been very busy so far today,'' Lucinda Jarvis, Otsego County's Democratic deputy elections commissioner, said Monday afternoon.
``We've got 29 petitions in the system, and 10 or 15 to go,'' she said.
Jarvis said many candidates like to file at least some of their petitions on the first day they can be accepted.
``I think people like to get this part out of the way,'' she said.
In Otsego County this year, all 14 seats on the Board of Representatives are up for vote, and all incumbents are seeking another two-year term. Challengers have announced plans to run in districts 4 and 5.
The post of county treasurer also is open as incumbent Republican Myrna Thayne seeks a second four-year term. She is opposed by Republican Edward Keator, who was endorsed by the county's Republican Committee in April, and Democrat Daniel Crowell, managing director for the Northeast of the Halden Group, a financial and software consulting firm based in Virginia.
``We have a lot of town offices up this year, too,'' Jarvis said.
The Delaware County Board of Elections was moderately busy Monday, according to Republican Deputy Elections Commissioner Robin Alger, as candidates for some town and county offices filed on the first day.
In Delaware County, all town supervisor posts except those in Harpersfield and Deposit are up for election this year, she said.
Delaware will fill several town posts, and may have a treasurer's race as incumbent Beverly Shields seeks a fifth term.
All party petitions for the 2009 elections in New York state must be submitted to boards of elections by 5 p.m. Thursday.
``We're open until 4 p.m. this week, but we'll stay open until 5 (p.m.) Thursday,'' Jarvis said.
To have valid party-nominating petitions, candidates must obtain the signatures of 5 percent of registered voters in that party who live within the district governed by the office. For example, a Republican running for an Otsego County-wide office would need 699 signatures, and a Democrat would need 548, Jarvis said.
After a petition is filed, voters have up to three days to file general objections. Then, they have six more days to file specific objections that could invalidate a petition if the board of elections agrees with the complaints.
In August, boards of elections will begin to receive independent nominating petitions. There, the bar is set a little bit higher _ 5 percent of the number of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election, she said.
In Otsego County, a candidate seeking countywide office would need 929 signatures, Jarvis said.
The primary election will be held Sept. 15, and the general election will be Nov. 3.
