Judge says Burlington GOP Surrogate candidate can’t be on ballot

A candidate for the Republican nomination for Burlington County Surrogate won’t be on the ballot in the June primary and will need to mount a write-in campaign to continue her campaign.

Superior Court Judge John Harrington ruled today that Republicans fell short of the 269 signatures needed to qualify for the primary.

The original GOP candidate, Michael Boyd, withdrew from the race; he was replaced by Dale McPeak.

Harrington gave Republicans until noon on Thursday to challenge his ruling with the Appellate Court.

If McPeak mounts a write-in bid, she will need at least 269 votes.

The Democratic incumbent, Brian Carlin, is seeking re-election to a second term.

County Clerk Joanne Schwartz, a Democrat, found that Boyd fell 27 signatures short of the 269 required on his nominating petitions. The challenge to Boyd’s petition was filed by Matthew Riggins, the Democratic county chairman.