Although South Carolina has always permitted “fusion” (the ability for two parties to jointly nominate the same candidate, and be listed under each label on the ballot), South Carolina elections officials say they don’t know whether it is legal to add up the votes under each party label, to give the candidate credit for all the votes. The Secretary of State said on June 26 that he will ask for an Attorney General’s Opinion on this question.
The only way “fusion” would work — at least for presidential candidates: all the parties must have the same slate of Electors, not just the same candidates.
Otherwise, why would there be a problem in, for example, a seat for Congress?
Just count the votes.
How hard can that be?
More New Age election law INSANITY in a lunatic State regime.
People are elected – NOT party labels.
Can a party nominate an elector candidate without that elector candidate’s permission, regardless whether or not the elector candidate’s name is on the ballot?
There is a common law right to not be a candidate against one’s wishes.
The South Carolina Elections Commission staff have decided that a candidate who seeks office with one political party may seek or accept another party’s nomination by filling out and submitting a “Notice of Intent” naming the party they want to run with, the office they seek, and the date of the election and of submission of the notice. In short, if Barack Obama does not sign and submit paperwork via the United Citizens Party, they will have effectively nominated no one.
This is an attempt to do by the staff of the Elections Commission what the legislature has refused to do, eliminate fusion.
Consider: If Barack Obama had a shot at winning in South Carolina, and don’t forget that we have a very large and energized Black population, he could not even consider allowing the UCP to fuse his campaign. In fact, it would be a *dis-advantage* as opposed to an advantage to get support from more than one party. The UCP would literally be denied the right to nominate the candidate of their choosing, even if that candidate wanted the nomination.
Without any change in the law, and there have been none, there can be no justification for changing procedures which have been used for several election cycles without it being a problem.