Sanders campaign delivering signatures for NY ballot

Original published at: https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Bernie-Sanders-campaign-delivering-signatures-for-6806307.php#photo-9355109

By Casey Seiler

Bernie Sanders supporters, including Steve Chagnon, seated center, rally outside the State Board of Elections as they await the filing of petitions Thursday Feb. 4, 2016 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Albany - A group of around 80 supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' White House bid rallied Thursday outside the Pearl Street headquarters of the state Board of Elections as they awaited the arrival of boxes of petitions.

Once filed, the petitions will allow Sanders to run on the April 19 Democratic primary ballot in New York.

Statewide, Sanders' supporters — including the state Working Families Party — said they had collected roughly 85,000 signatures. The stack of boxes on the counter at the board's offices were arranged by congressional district as they were taken in by elections officials.

Richard Sahr of East Nassau was one of the first petition-haulers to arrive at the fifth-floor offices. He spent a week collecting signatures in his predominantly rural stretch of the 19th Congressional District.

He described the general response to his outreach as "very positive."

"I went to one house where the guy went ballistic. ... 'He's a socialist! Are you crazy?'" Sahr said.

Volunteers in the sprawling 19th district, which stretches from Rensselaer County to Poughkeepsie, ended up collecting around 4,000 signatures, Sahr said — far above the initial goal of 500.

Sahr said he had to revisit about 15 people after he discovered he had mistakenly been given a New York City petition form.

Hillary Clinton's team reported filing roughly the same number of signatures.

Bernie Sanders supporters carry boxes of petitions into the State Board of Elections Thursday Feb. 4, 2016 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Bernie Sanders supporter Javier Anderson of Irvington delivers boxes of petitions to the State Board of Elections Thursday Feb. 4, 2016 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Robin Gray, left, of Albany, and Mike Jurkovic of Wallkill join Bernie Sanders supporters as they rally outside the State Board of Elections as they await the filing of petitions Thursday Feb. 4, 2016 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Bernie Sanders supporters rally outside the State Board of Elections as they await the filing of petitions Thursday Feb. 4, 2016 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Bernie Sanders supporters deliver boxes of petitions to the State Board of Elections Thursday Feb. 4, 2016 in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) Photo: John Carl D'Annibale