Democratic Campaign Manager Forged Nomination Petition Signatures: Chesco DA​

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — A Philadelphia woman serving as a Democratic campaign manager has been charged in Chester County after authorities said she forged signatures on a nominating petition in 2024.

According to Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe, Mariel Kornblith-Martin, 40, of Philadelphia, is charged with 10 counts each of solicitation to unsworn falsification to authorities, solicitation to false swearing, the filing of false nomination petitions, and other related charges.

Candidates for statewide office in Pennsylvania must obtain signatures from voters in different counties as part of the election process. The person collecting the signatures — referred to as a circulator — does so on a nominating petition, and each nominating petition is signed by the circulator. This indicates they were the person who collected the signatures. Forging signatures or otherwise falsifying the forms is a crime, the DA's office said.

Kornblith-Martin's charges came after a Chester County Court of Common Pleas judge reported to authorities her signature being forged on a nominating petition for auditor general candidate Mark Pinsley.

According to the DA's office, the judge said that she did not sign the petition, as judges are not permitted to sign nominating petitions in Pennsylvania because they hold non-partisan positions.

Investigators found multiple forged signatures on Pinsley's nominating petitions, the DA's office said. They identified three circulators who signed nominating petitions that included forgeries, according to authorities.

They further developed evidence that Kornblith-Martin directed the circulators and paid them to sign pre-filled nominating petitions, the DA's office said. As the campaign manager for a Democratic auditor general candidate with more than a decade of experience, authorities said Kornblith-Martin knew nominating petitions must be signed by the person who actually collected the signatures.

Kornblith-Martin was released on $50,000 unsecured bail and is scheduled for a Feb. 20 preliminary hearing, court records show.