New Jersey Secretary of State Removes Independent Candidate from Ballot Even Though Administrative Law Judge Had Ruled in His Favor

On June 12, New Jersey Secretary of State removed an independent candidate for U.S. House from the ballot even though the candidate had won before an Administrative Law Judge earlier. The candidate, Vincent Matrisciano, had prepared his own blank petition forms instead of using the forms provided by the Secretary of State. See this story. The home-made petition omitted language that said the signer supports the candidate named on the petition. Ironically, that type of language has been declared unconstitutional in decisions some other states, including Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia.

Kansas State Court Says Lawsuit Over No Labels Party is Premature

On June 11, a Kansas state trial court said that the lawsuit Miller v Schwab, Shawnee County District Court 5N2026cv-510, was filed prematurly. The judge said the lawsuit should have been filed after the Kansas Board of Objections had ruled on the issue. The Board of Objections will decide on Friday, June 12.

The issue is whether the Secretary of State was empowered to declare that the 2024 officers of the No Labels Party, rather than the 2026 officers, have the authority to make decisions for the party. The 2024 officers want to dissolve the party. The 2026 officers, who were chosen at a party meeting earlier this year, want it to carry on and run candidates for office this year. See this story.