WARREN — The Warren Board of Canvassers is investigating whether signatures were improperly collected on nomination papers returned by Dana Peloso, a Republican challenging incumbent Democrat Jan Malik for the District 67 House seat.

The three-member board is set to schedule an emergency meeting to discuss “discrepancies” in the list of signatures, according to its chairman Vinny Calenda.

“We have grave concerns,” said Calenda, a Democrat. “It is under investigation. We are going to let due process take its course.”

Calenda said the meeting could occur as soon as tomorrow but may be delayed because of scheduling conflicts. The other members of the board are Lou Bancroft, a Democrat, and Republican Nancy Munroe.

As of yesterday afternoon, neither Calenda nor anyone in the town clerk’s office had contacted Peloso regarding the potential problems. When notified by a reporter, Peloso said, “This is news to me.”

Peloso, who is in his first race for elected office in Rhode Island, needed to collect a total of 50 signatures from voters in the district that covers parts of Warren and Barrington. He said that the Warren town clerk’s office had told him on Monday that 33 of the signatures he had collected in Warren had been certified and an indeterminate number had been disqualified.

He said he was not worried about the disqualified signatures because he was sure that his campaign had collected more than enough in Barrington to make up the difference.

According to Peloso, however, issues were also raised about the signatures from Barrington voters. He said he was told this week by the Barrington town clerk’s office that only four of the 28 signatures he submitted there had been certified.

But he said he had contacted all of the people whose signatures had been disqualified and that they had confirmed signing his papers.

Typically, a person’s signature can be disqualified if it is illegible or if the person who signed is not a registered voter in the relevant town or district.

Peloso’s campaign manager, Barry Lucier, was set to meet with the Barrington Board of Canvassers today to discuss the issue, according to Peloso.

The Barrington town clerk’s office could not be reached late yesterday.

In other election news, Emily Anness, of Warren, failed to return nomination papers after declaring last month her decision to run for a seat on the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee.

akuffner@projo.com