This article originally appeared on WPRI on July 26, 2023 and was written by Eli Sherman and Tim White .  

Common Cause of Rhode Island executive director John Marion argued the Board of Elections could have been more proactive in reviewing Matos’s signatures under its existing authority.

“The board clearly has the ability, under statute and their own regulations, to review all of the signatures submitted by the Matos campaign, even in the absence of a challenge,” Marion said.

Regardless, Marion said the question of whether Matos should be on the ballot “is an academic exercise at this point,” because military and overseas ballots with Matos’s name on them have already been printed and mailed.

“It’s like wondering who won the popular vote for president in Florida in 2000,” Marion told Target 12, referencing the weeks-long recount in the presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

“There is no mechanism at this point that I’m aware of for the Board of Elections or secretary of state to disqualify her from the ballot,” he said.

Marion added, “There was a window last week where the Board of Elections could have settled the question before the point of no return, but they incorrectly chose to punt the question to the attorney general.”

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