Author Topic: Libertarian, Green parties sue Texas over ballot requirements  (Read 429 times)

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Offline Elderberry

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Houston Chronicle by Taylor Goldenstein July 12, 2019

A group of third-parties, including the Libertarian and Green parties, are suing Texas, alleging that the state’s rules for earning a spot on the ballot are unconstitutionally burdensome.

Plaintiffs in the suit, filed against the Texas Secretary of State in federal district court in Austin, argue that requirements — one of which calls for them to track down thousands of voters who did not cast ballots in a primary election and get their signatures — create a financial barrier to access for their candidates. The suit seeks for a judge to rule the laws unconstitutional and block their enforcement.

“For the last 50 years, the State of Texas has denied voters their right to cast their votes effectively by enforcing a statutory scheme that guarantees ballot access to the two oldest and largest political parties at taxpayer expense,” the suit said, “while imposing ever-greater burdens on their potential competitors.”

Texas’s nomination petition procedure was adopted in 1905 but has not seen much change since, the suit said.

Marc Rylander, a spokesman for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which will represent the state in the suit, did not respond to a request for comment late Thursday.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Libertarian-Green-parties-sue-Texas-over-ballot-14089965.php

Offline Sanguine

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Re: Libertarian, Green parties sue Texas over ballot requirements
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2019, 11:43:38 pm »
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