U.S. District Court in Ohio Rejects Ballot Access Relief for Minor Party and Independent Candidates

On June 24, U.S. District Court Judge James L. Graham, a Reagan appointee, rejected ballot access relief for independent candidates in Ohio. Hawkins v DeWine, s.d., 2:20cv-2781. The 12-page order says that because Ohio had exempted “First Amendment Activity” from its lockdown order, there is no basis for relief. The opinion says, “The State’s COVID-19 orders imposed no significant burden on plaintiffs’ signature-gathering rights.”

Howie Hawkins has appealed to the Sixth Circuit. The case number is 20-3717. Ohio requires 5,000 signatures for statewide independent petitions. The presidential petition is due August 5. The only ballot-qualified parties in Ohio are Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian.


Comments

U.S. District Court in Ohio Rejects Ballot Access Relief for Minor Party and Independent Candidates — 2 Comments

  1. I’d think the Hawkins campaign and the greens are organized enough to get the signatures in Ohio. Especially if they’ve started. Hopefully they can still find a way to get on

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