Irving Mayoral Candidate Sues to Get Opponent Kicked Off May 6 Ballot

An Irving mayoral candidate has filed a lawsuit seeking to have one of her opponents removed from the May 6 ballot. The suit, filed April 4 by a lawyer for candidate Elvia Espino, asks that Dallas County Elections Administrator Toni Pippins-Poole remove Kristi Pena from consideration due to a discrepancy in the signatures on Pena's application to be placed on the ballot. According to the suit, the inclusion of Pena's name being on the ballot goes against the Texas Election code because Pena's petition "failed to satisfy the requirements for eligibility regarding the requisite number of verified registered voters' signatures."It additionally states Espino was harmed because Pena's inclusion on the ballot required the city to redraw for ballot position, moving Espino's position on the ballot from first to third. "I had serious concerns regarding the process that I felt warranted the suit," Espino said Tuesday in an interview. " And it boils down to the consistent applications of the rules. I want to make clear that this is about the process, not about the individual."The suit, which list Pippins-Poole as the defendant, comes a month after the 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas ordered Irving City Secretary Shanae Jennings to place Pena on the ballot. Jennings initially rejected Pena's application in February after Jennings could not confirm five of the 38 signatures on Pena's application, leaving her three short of the required 36 to be placed on the ballot. In addition to ordering that Pena's name be placed on the ballot, the appeals court also ordered Jennings to "redraw for the order of names on the ballot." Wade Emmert, a lawyer for Pena, said the new lawsuit has no merit since the appeals court already ordered Pena on the ballot.  Continue reading...