On September 9, Mississippi election officials determined that the faction of the Reform Party headed by Barbara Washer is the legitimate Reform Party. Therefore, her faction’s nominees will be on the November 8, 2011 ballot for state office. They are Tracella Hill for Lieutenant Governor, John Pannell for Secretary of State, Ashley Norwood for Auditor, Shawn O’Hara for Treasurer, Cathy Toole for Agriculture Commissioner, Lajena Williams for State Senate 44, Yasming Johnson for Senate 45, and Randy Walker for Representative 104.
Shawn O’Hara had filed to run for both Governor and Treasurer, but state law does not permit anyone to run simultaneously for two different office, so he is on the ballot now for Treasurer but not for Governor.
Meanwhile, the only independent running for Governor, Will Oatis, has withdrawn, so for Governor, only the Democratic and Republican nominees will be on the ballot.
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What was the “evidence” the Mississippi SOS office used to decide in favor of the Washer faction of the Reform Party?
And since the other faction did have a candidate for governor – but apparently he was determined by the SOS office to not be the nominee of the “legitimate” Reform Party – then why could not the Washer faction not have the option to nominate a substitute candidate? If, for example, the Democratic nominee for Governor were disqualified, the Mississippi State Democratic Committee would have the right to replace that candidate with another.
Why does the Reform Party not have this option?
While state law (and rightfully so) said that Mr. O’Hara could not run both for Governor and State Treasurer at the same time – then why was he not allowed the option of deciding which office he would run for – either Governor or State Treasurer – assuming Mr. O’Hara wanted such option?
Richard, you appear to have access to more of the details of such, so how much more can you enlighten us?
Still, with the Reform Party being the “2nd candidate” and the only opposing candidate on the ballot for at least 3 major statewide offices, they should receive a respectable vote in November. Surely, a sizeable number of Democratic voters will NOT vote for the GOP nominees in these races.
Oh, how we would love to have such “opportunities” here in Alabama.
Technically, in Mississippi, all qualified parties nominate by primary. Candidates file with the party officials, not government election officials. Each faction’s candidates filed with the state chair that that candidate recognized. The primary is never actually held for parties that only have a single candidate running for any particular office.
It seems odd to me that the state officials would wait so long to adjudicate the Reform Party matter (the primary was in August). I am not well-informed about the details of the factionalism or how the state officers decided. It wasn’t just a Secretary of State decision. Several other state officers, including the Governor, get involved.
Thanks Richard, for helping enlighten some. “It seems odd to me that the state officials would wait so long to adjudicate the Reform Party matter.” I’m not. This was all a nusiance to them more than anything else. Thank God for the 1965 Voting Rights Law, as if it were not, you can be sure the Mississippi Legislature – Democrats and Republicans alike – would have long ago made ballot access much harder. A Supreme (or federal) Court decision I believe back in 1966 resulted in Mississippi having a very lenient election law regarding 3rd parties and independents. You don’t hear much of it from the national media, but there are scores of independents running for local office in many rural counties (where the GOP is still not accepted – at least on the local level.) Since many Blacks candidates often use the independent route, I don’t forsee the Justice Department allowing the Legislature to change the law any time soon. Sometimes “federal tyranny” comes in handy.
Are the factions in some minor parties just as LAWLESS as the factions in some major parties ???