December 28, 2023
Another state has just banned former President Donald Trump from their 2024 ballot.
The state is Maine. But the way this happened is very different the way it happened in Colorado where the state’s Supreme Court ruled he should be removed for violation of the 14th Amendment.
But in Maine – the state law allows a secretary of state to also weigh in on whether a candidate is eligible to be on the ballot. And that’s what just happened. Maine’s secretary of state -Sheena Bellows just issued this 34 page ruling which says Trump is disqualified – again because she found he violated the 14th Amendment.
Secretary Bellows says initially three challenges were brought to her office by several Maine voters who said trump should not be on the ballot for – according to some – violation of the 14th Amendment. There was a hearing on December 15th and all parties involved presented exhibits and witnesses. Trump’s legal team filed a brief expressing his objection to being removed from Maine’s ballot.
But just moment ago – the Secretary of State ruled against him — writing in her ruling “I conclude that Mr. Trump’s primary petition is invalid. Specifically, I find that the declaration on his candidate consent form is false because he is not qualified to hold the office of the president under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
She goes on to say the “applicability of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment does not turn on whether an office-seeker has been convicted of a crime.” If you read the Fourteenth Amendment section three you can see it only says an office holder has violated it if he or she has “engaged in insurrection or given aid or comfort” to an insurrectionist.”
In her ruling — Secretary Bellows goes through the state law and the power given to her by Maine’s state legislature to manage the ballots and decide which candidates meet the requirements laid out in state law.
It’s also worth noting – Republican Chris Christie was also disqualified for Maine’s primary election ballot because he didn’t get the necessary signatures from Maine voters to qualify. Joe Biden is not going to appear on New Hampshire’s primary ballot because of a scuffle with the state over primary election dates.
Now obviously trump can appeal this ruling to the courts in Maine which he obviously will do and it gives the United States Supreme Court even more reason to weigh in on the Colorado case as soon as possible because there are several other states weighing this very same issue right now.
Read the Maine Secretary of State ruling here.
