On the evening of June 26, an Alaska state trial court put Daniel J. Sullivan back on the primary ballot as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senator. See this story. There will be an appeal to the State Supreme Court.
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On June 12, Florida Representative Paula Stark, a Republican representing the 47th House district, was removed from the August 18 Republican primary ballot for failing to submit a financial disclosure form. She did file the form, but the clerk in the elections office handed the form back instead of keeping it. Stark has filed a state court lawsuit to get back on the ballot. See this story.
On June 26, the Massachusetts Ballot Law Commission removed Michael Walsh, a candidate for Attorney General, from the Republican primary ballot, because it felt he didn’t have 10,000 valid signatures. The party already had not placed anyone for Secretary of State or Auditor on its primary ballot. Walsh says he will appeal the decision.
Massachusetts law on how candidates get on primary ballots is far too harsh. Massachusetts is the only state in which over half of the U.S. House races regularly have only one candidate on the November ballot. The law injures qualified minor parties and Republicans alike, but Republican legislators never introduce bills to ease the petition requirements.
On June 24, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, vetoed HB 472. It would have required persons seeking an absentee ballot to include a copy of their photo-ID in their application. See this story, which has a copy of the Governor’s veto message.
On June 25, a brief schedule was set out for Cornel West’s Pennsylvania ballot access case, a case that had been filed in 2024. It concerns Pennsylvania’s discriminatory law on presidential elector candidate filing. Qualified parties merely need to submit a list of their presidential elector candidates; the electors themselves need do nothing. But for other parties and independent candidates, each elector candidate must submit his or her own notarized declaration of candidacy. The case has already survived the state’s motion to dismiss. West v Pennsylvania Department of State, w.d., 2:24cv-1349.
West’s brief is due July 31. The state’s brief is due August 31. Reply briefs will all be submitted by September 28.