On September 19, a Connecticut state trial court refused to order the Secretary of State to print any nominee for the Independent Party for U.S. Senate. There are two factions of that party, and each faction nominated someone different. The Secretary of State says she doesn’t know which faction to recognize, so she won’t print anyone on the ballot for any statewide office. The state court decision sustains the Secretary of State’s action. See this story.
The party will now lose its ballot qualification for U.S. Senate. Connecticut is the only state in which qualified status is separate for each office. The lawsuit will continue, and each faction hopes to eventually win a ruling over who the true state officers are.
So, now, if anyone wants to get rid of a disruptive alternative-party candidate there, all he has to do is put up an alternative slate, and this court precedent will be used to eliminate the legitimate candidate. Democratic Party hacks, for example, can now get rid of troublesome Green Party candidates.
Chris – that was the opposite of the intention here. The Republicans have been trying to take over the Independent Party for years in order to give their candidates a cross endorsement and an extra ballot line. They’re trying to balance out the Democrats-Working Families scam.