BARRINGTON — In a bid to stay in the race for the District 67 House seat, Dana Peloso filed an appeal yesterday with the state Board of Elections attempting to reverse a local decision to disqualify signatures on his nomination papers.

Peloso, a Republican in his first run for elected office in Rhode Island, filed the appeal after the Barrington Board of Canvassers voted Wednesday to certify only 4 of the 28 signatures his campaign collected. Board members said many of the signatures didn’t match those on voter registration cards previously collected by the town. Moreover, three people whose signatures are in question told the board, when contacted by phone, that they didn’t sign Peloso’s papers.

Peloso was required to collect 50 signatures of registered voters in the district that covers portions of Barrington and Warren. With 33 signatures certified by the Warren Board of Canvassers, Peloso would have a total of only 37 signatures, well short of the minimum number he needs to challenge incumbent Jan Malik, a Democrat.

Peloso and his campaign manager, Barry Lucier, met with the Barrington Board of Canvassers Wednesday afternoon. Lucier said they were told then that if individuals whose signatures were disqualified went to Town Hall yesterday to verify their names, the signatures would be certified.

However, Peloso said yesterday morning the Town Clerk’s office told him no changes would be made to the list of signatures because it had already been voted on by the Board of Canvassers.

He filed the appeal shortly afterward. The Board of Elections has scheduled a hearing for Monday at 10 a.m., he said.

Peloso questioned how the signatures could have been disqualified, saying he was present when people signed his papers.

“We went to their houses,” he said. “I watched them sign.”

He said he will try to bring those people to the hearing Monday to vouch for their signatures.

Although the Warren Board of Canvassers certified many of the signatures Peloso submitted, the board also disqualified an undetermined number, according to its chairman Vinny Calenda.

He said there were “discrepancies” in the signatures. The Board of Canvassers has tentatively scheduled a meeting for 4 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the matter.

akuffner@projo.com