Election officials throughout the country are addressing a growing debate surrounding former President Donald Trump’s eligibility for the 2024 ballot and preparing for potential challenges in multiple states.
The controversy stems from a constitutional question related to the 14th Amendment, which bars those who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes recently remarked, “We need to run an election. We need to know who is eligible, and this is of incredible national interest.”
The discussion surrounding Trump’s ballot access was elevated after Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson suggested during the first GOP presidential debate that Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, could potentially disqualify him based on the Amendment’s stipulations.
Election authorities are now in a tight spot, preparing to address potential legal battles against Trump’s candidacy. Arizona’s Fontes conveyed the urgency by emphasizing the Dec. 14 deadline for the final certification of candidates for the state’s presidential preference election.
“Because this will ultimately end up in court, we are taking this very seriously,” he shared with NBC News.
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New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan appears to be in a similar situation. The state is also preparing for a possible 14th Amendment challenge to Trump.
Both Fontes and Scanlan have underscored their impartiality in the ballot access situation.
Fontes stated, “We aren’t taking a position one way or the other,” urging those keen on debating the issue to act promptly.
Echoing this sentiment, Scanlan clarified that he wasn’t intent on excluding any names from the primary ballot but was more focused on navigating the emerging legal intricacies.
With the 2024 elections drawing near, this constitutional debate underscores the dynamic interplay of politics, law and election procedure in the American democratic framework.
This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.
