On September 13, the Kansas State Objections Board rejected the attempt of national leaders of the Reform Party to have Andre Barnett listed as the Reform Party presidential nominee. The national convention of the Reform Party, meeting in Philadelphia August 11-12, had chosen Barnett for President. But the Kansas Reform Party state officers certified Chuck Baldwin as the state party’s presidential nominee.
The State Objections Board, composed of the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State, heard testimony about the dispute, and then ruled that the state party has the authority to name the presidential electors, and therefore the state party determines which presidential nominee to list. The same board made a similar ruling in 2008, when the state Reform Party also chose Baldwin for President, even though the 2008 national Reform Party convention had chosen Ted Weill for President.
Now that the Reform Party of Kansas has clearly established that it, and not the national convention, has authority to determine the presidential nominee, it is possible that the state party will revise its presidential nominee. Baldwin is apparently willing to withdraw in favor of Virgil Goode.
Thank you for the update Richard.
Obviously the national leaders of the Reform Party do not know about that constitutional doctrine called “states’rights.” The Kansas state officials made the right decision in this matter Our political party system is supposed to be organized on a federalist system – just like our national government. Or at least this is the way it used to be.
Yes, there are times when a state government stubbornly refuses to do what is right (or constitutional), and in those instances, the federal government (or courts) have to step in. But the supporters of Mr. Barnett (unless it is too late to do so) can obtain ballot access via the independent line or they can engage in a “write-in” campaign for their candidate.
Still, no one has answered a previous post of mine, and that is will the Goode-Clymer ticket be listed twice on the Kansas ballot – once as Reform and once as Constitution?
Richard, what say ye?
RICHARD,PLEASE GIVE US A SUMMARY AS TO WHOM WILL BE ON EACH STATES BALLOT, THE ONE ON POLITICS 1 IS DEAD WRONG
@2 – I do not see the Constitution Party on the list of parties http://www.kssos.org/elections/12elec/PresidentialElectors.pdf
Yet in Michigan, the Libertarians can’t put Gary E. Johnson on the ballot, if they so choose. How strange!
The CP is not on the ballot in Kansas or Alaska. So they have relied on the Reform and Alaska Independence parties to get on the ballot for President.
They have the same relationship with NV’s Independent American, and formerly with CA’s American Independent party.
So when will we know who the Kansas Reform Party will place on the ballot in November?
And in Oklahoma we will see if this trend continues for the A.E. party. State leaders put Gary Johnson on the ballot in Oklahoma.
@3… don’t you subscribe to Ballot Access News? It’s all in there.
For some states we don’t know yet.
The Constitution Party is not currently on the ballot in Kansas. The Kansas Reform Party put Chuck Baldwin on the ballot in 2008 and after much deliberation we decided to hope they would put our nominee on the ballot again in 2012 and then re-visit, later, the possibility of the Kansas Reform Party affiliating with our national party (the CP)or forming a new Kansas affiliate. Unfortunately, while relations have been very good between the CP and the Kansas Reform Party actual communications haven’t always been that great and the Kansas Reform Party apparently wasn’t aware of the CP nomination of Virgil Goode when they decided to put Chuck on again as their nominee. Hopefully this will all result in Goode/Clymer being on the Kansas ballot.
Chad (#6): A point of correction–Nevada’s Independent American Party has been the formal Nevada affiliate of the Constitution Party (US Taxpayers Party) since the very beginning in 1992. California’s American Independent Party was actually THE very first affiliate party of the USTP/CP, agreeing to work with USTP founder, Howard Phillips, before 1992. Howard never would have gone forward in founding the new national party without the involvement of the California AIP. The AIP was an affiliate party of the CP until 2008 when the California Secretary of State recognized the hijackers (hi Mark!!) who were and are operatives working in the interest of the Republican Party.
The Alaska AIP and the Kansas Reform Party have indeed had a working relationship with the CP (as you suggest), but are not at this point formally affiliated with the CP.
As of September 14, mid-morning, the Kansas Reform Party has not yet told the Secretary of State that it wants to replace Chuck Baldwin with Virgil Goode. However, Kansas won’t print its ballots until next week, and part of the reason is that the State Objections Board hasn’t decided on the challenge to President Obama being on the ballot. See the post above.
Gary doesn’t hijacking work both ways.
just curious—how many states are balloted for Andre Barrett of the Reform Party. Seems like a fine man
excuse me—Andre Barnett nor Andre Barrett
Pingback: Kansas State Officials Reject Attempt to Place Andre Barnett on the Ballot as the Reform Party Nominee | ThirdPartyPolitics.us