How the Virginia Republican Party Could Expand Voter Choice in its 2012 Presidential Primary
December 27th, 2011The Virginia Republican Party, if it wished, could probably win a lawsuit against the ban on write-ins in its own 2012 presidential primary. Winning against the ban on write-ins would make it possible for Virginia voters who vote in that primary to have a free choice of candidates.
The Virginia Constitution, Article II, section 3, says, “In elections other than primary elections, provision shall be made whereby votes may be cast for persons other than the listed candidates or nominees.” Because this section protects write-in voting in general elections, all Virginia ballot-counting machines are able to handle write-in votes.
The only possible purpose for excluding primaries from the write-in guarantee is to protect the interest of parties. But a party that wants write-ins in its own primary ought to have the constitutional clout to demand it. The U.S. Supreme Court has protected the ability of political parties to control their own nomination process, especially in the recent party rights decision, New York State Board of Elections v Lopez Torres, 552 U.S. 196 (2008). Also, Virginia state courts have always recognized a strong role for political parties in the nominations process.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:48 am
Richard – Be quiet. Don’t give the enemy any help!!
December 27th, 2011 at 10:02 am
PUBLIC nominations of PUBLIC candidates for PUBLIC offices according to PUBLIC laws —
ALL electors do the nominations – top 2 States
SOME electors do the nominations – party hack primary / convention regimes.
Much too difficult for the SCOTUS party hack robot morons to detect ???
December 27th, 2011 at 10:59 am
[...] Winger explains. This entry was posted in primaries. Bookmark the permalink. ← “2011, the year [...]
December 28th, 2011 at 6:41 am
The parties should nominate their candidates by their own internal rules and the state should have nothing to say about it. Each party should get one candidate on the general election ballot in November, including smaller parties, plus all independents, without petition requirements, followed by a runoff in December if needed.
December 28th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
[...] to this article, there is still a way that Virginia Republicans could allow write-in votes in the primary. Newt [...]