According to this story, Rhode Island Republican Party officials are worried that the leading Republican presidential candidates will have trouble getting on the Rhode Island presidential primary ballot. The law requires 1,000 signatures between January 19 and February 2. The Rhode Island Republican Party is considering the idea of circulating a petition on behalf of each of the candidates it recognizes as legitimate. Any registered voter may sign, but the signatures must be collected in winter weather.
Rhode Island once placed presidential primary candidates on the ballot automatically if they were discussed in the news media. However, that old law was enjoined by a U.S. District Court in 1992. That case, Duke v Connell, 790 F.Supp. 50, was won by David Duke, who had been barred from the Republican presidential primary on the grounds that the major news media didn’t discuss his candidacy for the Republican nomination. The judge felt the law is too vague. These “media” laws are common around the country, and have been upheld in many other states, although the Kentucky “media” law was also invalidated. Because of the David Duke decision, the Rhode Island legislature started requiring 1,000 signatures for presidential primary candidates. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for the link.
Is BAN a *media* ???
Is ANY internet blog a *media* ???
More insane nonsense — due to the EVIL ANTI-Democracy Electoral College and the robot party hack machinations in the States.
P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
Equal nominating petitions by real human Electors — not a bunch of media morons hyping candidates
How many of the robot party hack moron regimes have screwed around with Prez nomination stuff since 2008 ???
ALL of them ???
The MORONS can NOT detect in advance of what in Hell they are doing regarding ballot access requirements ??? —
i.e. the MORONS are shocked that 1 or more candidates finds their MORON system impossible to comply with.
ALL of this stuff is like the MORONS in Japan building a nuke reactor about 50 feet from the Pacific Ocean near super-dangerous earthquake fault lines. Result – reactor meltdown – thousands forced to move out.
See also the 1986 Chernobyl MORONS — pulling out control rods in a nuke reactor to see what would happen.
Result – reactor meltdown. Thousands of folks forced to move out.
or the earlier 1912 Titanic MORONS — going at full speed on a moonless night in a known iceberg zone with NO binocs for the crows nest folks and NO searchlights on pointing ahead. Result SUNK ship – about 1500 DEAD.
Stop the MORONS.
Abolish the Senate and the Electoral College — as if the 1860 DISASTER election was not enough to wake up MORONS — about 620,000 DEAD Americans on both sides in 1861-1865.
1,000 signatures too difficult? They should try doing what they put other parties through.
#3 I agree. One thousand signatures is probably not too difficult in a small state like RI particularly since you dont even have to be enrolled in the party to sign the petition. What I don’t like is this quote from the 1st para.:
“The Rhode Island Republican Party is considering the idea of circulating a petition on behalf of each of the candidates it recognizes as legitimate.”
So they didn’t get their way and now the party bosses want to decide who is a “legitimate” candidate?
Just one more reason to stay home on election day – or at least primary day.