Special Election Part Rules
Updated: May 29, 2026
Orders to Show Cause in Election Law proceedings to validate or invalidate independent nominating petitions required to be commenced on or before June 9, 2026 (or within three business days of a ruling of invalidity by the Board of Elections in the City of New York) shall be returnable at the time and place indicated on the Order to Show Cause.
All pleadings, specifications of objections, offers of proof and answers shall be filed no later than the time of the calendar call on the initial return date. Proofs of service shall also be filed no later than the time of the calendar call on the first return date. Specifications of objections to independent nominating petitions previously filed with the Board of Elections in the City of New York (the Board) in accordance with applicable law need not be filed with the court.
In all proceedings to validate independent nominating petitions commenced within 3 business days of a determination of invalidity by the Board, the verified petition or papers accompanying the petition must be sufficiently particularized to give notice of which Board’s determinations are claimed to be erroneous and/or which signatures are claimed to have been improperly invalidated (see Matter of Lacorte v Cytryn (21 NY3d 1022 [2013]).
In any proceeding by an aggrieved candidate or party chairperson to invalidate a nominating petition where specifications of objections have not been filed with the Board, a Bill of Particulars as to specifications of objections to said nominating petition shall be filed with the Court no later than the time of the calendar call on the initial return date. Failure to file such specifications of objections shall be deemed a waiver and further proof shall be precluded.
In any invalidating proceeding where the specifications of objections filed with the Board or Court allege that a signatory or subscribing witnesses’ signature in the nominating petition does not match the exemplar signature in the signatory/witness’s voter registration records (i.e., “DNM” specifications of objections), an offer of proof consisting of a copy of the petition sheet containing the signature at issue, as well as a copy of the signatory/witness’s voter registration records containing an exemplar signature must be submitted for each and every DNM specification of objection. This offer of proof must be served and filed no later than the time of the calendar call on the initial return date and the failure to do so shall be deemed a waiver and further proof shall be precluded.
In matters alleging a question of residency of a candidate, a complete written offer of proof shall be filed with the Court no later than the time of the calendar call on the first return date. Failure to serve and file the same shall be deemed a waiver and further proof shall be precluded.
In matters alleging questions of fraud, a complete written offer of proof including a statement as to the number of witnesses expected to be called, the identification of each such witness (by name, address, volume, page and line) and the status of each such witness (i.e., candidate, signatory, subscribing witness, notary public, etc. . . .), shall be filed with the Court no later than the time the calendar call on the first return date. Failure to serve and file such offer of proof shall be deemed a waiver and further proof shall be precluded.