Nominating petitions for state and local office hopefuls are due today, and Sen. Patty Ritchie claims four times the required number of signatures have been collected to get her on the ballot to run again for the 48th District seat.

The petitions don’t actually have to be at boards of elections today, but if they are mailed they have to be postmarked no later than yesterday to be valid.

The St. Lawrence County Board of elections reports having received petitions already from Democrat Michael Lecuyer for Louisville town justice, and Republicans including Daniel Martin for an unexpired term as Canton town councilor, Cathleen O’Horo for Canton town justice, Dennis Bulger for the unexpired term of Colton town supervisor, and Sharee Lanphear for Edwards supervisor.

Three Republicans, Dahl McCormick, Roger Murray, and Chad VanBrocklin, have filed petitions to be on the November ballot for an unexpired Pierrepont town council seat; Republicans John Ceresoli and Joan Mason have sent in petitions for Macomb town justice; and two Republicans, Timothy Fuller and Patrick Hutchins, have filed petitions for the unexpired term of the Piercefield highway superintendent. Lorraine Lewis has filed a petition from the Independence Party for a Piercefield councilor seat. Martin, Bulger and McCormick have also filed Conservative Party petitions.

Republican Sen. Ritchie’s nominating petitions include signatures from 4,105 Republican voters from across Oswego, Jefferson and the 17 towns and one city in St. Lawrence County that are part of the 48th District. State Election Law requires 1,000 signatures from Senate candidates, as a sign of support from voters before authorizing a name to appear on the ballot.

Ritchie also submitted 783 signatures from Independence Party voters (406 are required), and 330 Conservative voter signatures (139 are needed), and she is expected to appear on those ballot lines as well.

Ritchie is in her first, two-year term as State Senator.

The Republican from Heuvelton has already received unanimous endorsement of the Republican committees in all three counties, has won the endorsement of the state Independence Party, as well as St. Lawrence Conservatives.

The 48th Senate District includes Oswego and Jefferson Counties, and the St. Lawrence County Towns of Canton, De Kalb, DePeyster, Edwards, Fowler, Gouvernor, Hammond, Hermon, Lisbon, Louisville, Macomb, Madrid, Morristown, Oswegatchie, Rossie, Waddington and the City of Ogdensburg.

All the petitions are subject to verification.