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| Jennifer Jones' campaign scooter, Quartzsite, AZ - Copyright Desert Messenger 2014 |
UPDATE: Jennifer Jones posted on her Facebook page:
June 21, 2016 "Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner found in favor of Legislative District 5 Republican candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives Jennifer Jones. The nominating petition signature challenge was filed by a rival candidate and political newcomer Paul Mosley. Both parties represented themselves in court.
"Mosley had asked the Court to disqualify numerous signatures on Jones' nominating petitions for a variety of reasons, attempting to render her ineligible. After the signatures in question were checked by the Recorders Offices in La Paz and Mohave Counties, the official certified reports had determined that Jones had 43 signatures more than the minimum required.
"Mosley refused to accept the finding of fact and declined the judges offer to drop the case, which then proceeded immediately to trial. He argued that signatures should be disqualified for technical deficiencies such as using a zip code instead of writing the city, or using a post office box address. Jones countered with the applicable election statute and a 2004 Arizona Supreme Court ruling which held that purely technical departures from the form of the nominating petitions will not outweigh the voter's right to select a nominee. After a short recess Judge Warner ruled that Jones had submitted more than enough valid signatures to be on the August 30th primary election ballot and dismissed Mosley's claim.
"On her way out of the courtroom, Jones told Mosley, “I don't know if your mother ever spanked you Paul, but I just did.”
On June 15, 2016, Stephen Paul Mosley of Lake Havasu City filed formal legal action against Mrs. Jennifer Jones, a Republican candidate for Arizona Legislative District 5 (LD5). Mosley contends that Jones, of Quartzsite, failed to meet candidacy requirements. LD5 covers all of La Paz County and most of Mohave County.
In order for a signature to count, a person who signs a petition must be a qualified elector, live in the district of the office the candidate is running for and must belong to the same political party as the candidate. Since there are only two seats open for LD5, a person is allowed to sign only two petitions.
Jones' notified her supporters on her campaign Facebook page today with the following statement:
Mosley's 22 page complaint can be read in its entirety at:
According to Mosley's
complaint, "Jones submitted 64 petition sheets with 599 signatures.
However all of the signatures on petitions 4 and 47 are invalid because Jones
failed to complete the affidavits on the backs of the petitions as required by
statute."
Mosley alleges in his complaint; "Furthermore, out of the 599 signatures
that Jones submitted, 204 are invalid because the signer was not legally
eligible to sign the petition sheet, the signer's name is illegible, or the
signer failed to provide the information required by statute. 483 signatures
are required to be submitted for an individual to have his or her name printed
on the primary election ballot on August 30."
Mosley alleges that after removing alleged invalid
signatures, Jones only has 395 valid signatures, short of the 483 required to
have one's name printed on the ballot.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall H. Warner has
scheduled the complaint for expedited hearing at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 21.
"Apparently my opponents do not believe they can beat me in a fair election. The Mormon stock trader from Lake Havasu City, Paul Mosley, has filed a court challenge to my nominating signatures. The county recorders from Mohave and La Paz will be preparing a report on the signatures he challenged but over a hundred will have to be invalidated to remove me from the ballot. Unfortunately for my opponents, I am a seasoned pro se litigant so Mosley will need to hire an attorney but I will not."
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Z6UlGYZmGlMkZaU251ZWs0SHc/view?ts=57637cd7"Apparently my opponents do not believe they can beat me in a fair election. The Mormon stock trader from Lake Havasu City, Paul Mosley, has filed a court challenge to my nominating signatures. The county recorders from Mohave and La Paz will be preparing a report on the signatures he challenged but over a hundred will have to be invalidated to remove me from the ballot. Unfortunately for my opponents, I am a seasoned pro se litigant so Mosley will need to hire an attorney but I will not."
