On August 21, U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Sargus issued an order putting the Socialist Party on the Ohio ballot. Specifically, Brian Moore for president and Stewart Alexander for vice-president will be listed on the November ballot with “Socialist” next to their names. Moore v Brunner, 2:08cv-224.
The Ohio Green Party knows about this decision and hopes to gain the same sort of relief for itself.
Judge Sargus said about the Socialist Party, “The Court finds that the Socialist Party USA has the requisite community support to be placed on the ballot in Ohio based on the following undisputed facts in the parties’ memoranda. Socialist Party USA has a century-long history of involvement in presidential politics. The party held its last bienniel convention in St. Louis, Missouri, in October 2007, at which time it nominated Moore and Alexander as its candidates. Socialist Party candidates appeared on the ballot in 8 states in the 2004 presidential election, and garnered 10,822 votes nationwide. For the upcoming 2008 election, plaintiffs Moore and Alexander have currently qualified in Vermont, New Jersey and Colorado and are actively seeking ballot access in 18 other states, including Ohio. As for a showing of support in Ohio, the Socialist Party has ‘an active state affiliate in Ohio with a Charter and state officers” since at least 1999. The party has gathered several thousand signatures of Ohio residents.”
This is the first time the Socialist Party has ever won a ballot access lawsuit in federal court. The party won many ballot access lawsuits in state courts, in the period 1900-1948. The party also won a federal lawsuit in Iowa in the 1980’s, to win the right of its members to serve as deputy registrars of voters, but that was not a ballot access case.
