Traficant Denied Election Comeback Bid

Jim Traficant

The elections board in Trumbalt County, Ohio has disqualified former Congressman James Traficant a chance to run as an independent after irregularities were found in the petitions submitted to put him on the upcoming ballot.

Traficant served the Youngstown area of northeast Ohio for nearly two decades before being sent to jail in a case that many believe was a set-up to silence his voice of opposition in the build-up to the Iraq War.

Of the 3,138 petition signatures submitted by Traficant, 1,000 of them were deemed invalid by the elections board. Director Kelly Pallante said those signers did not live in the district or were not eligible to vote, among other reasons.

In the end, Traficant came up 107 signatures short of making it on the ballot.

Linda Kovachik, a former congressional staff member who’s advising Traficant on his comeback attempt, says the campaign will launch an appeal on the verdict.

Related posts:

1. New Evidence Proves Traficant Frame Job
2. Jurors Speak Out On Traficant Verdict