On September 20, independent candidate Scott Smith won his ballot access lawsuit, and he has now been restored to the November ballot as a candidate for U.S. House, 18th district. His ballot label is “Mr. Smith for Congress.” He is the only candidate on the ballot, other than the nominees of the Democratic and Republican Parties.

He submitted 5,000 signatures; 3,500 are needed. His petition was challenged by individuals associated with the Republican Party. The challenge was based on the fact that one of his circulators used a different postal address (when he signed the bottom of the petition sheets) than the address at which he is registered to vote. The trial court, the Supreme Court in Orange County, ruled that was no reason to invalidate those petitions. The same issue had surfaced in the recent Illinois Libertarian challenge. The New York case is Smith v Blanchette, 6925-2014. Another number associated with the case is 15918-2014. UPDATE: see this story.