ATLANTA — National and state Democrats are behind legal challenges Friday to block Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and three long-shot presidential contenders from Georgia’s November ballot.
The legal action is part of a national effort by Democrats and their allies to challenge Kennedy in political battlegrounds. They consider him and the others as spoiler candidates who could drain votes from President Joe Biden in competitive states.
The filing contends that Kennedy, Claudia De la Cruz of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Jill Stein of the Green Party and independent candidate Cornel West should be blocked from the ballot for a range of legal reasons.
It says that all four improperly submitted the candidates’ names to state elections officials rather than names of state electors who will formally vote for them. It also said the Georgia electors for each of the four failed to pay state qualifying fees.
The filing contends that the parties backing De la Cruz and Stein didn’t hold “proper” conventions. It said West’s campaign submitted its notices of candidacy for his electors three days after Georgia’s deadline. And the filing outlined other technical flaws in petitions submitted by De la Cruz, Kennedy and West.
The challenges were filed by the Democratic National Committee and the state Democratic Party on behalf of several registered Georgia voters. State election officials didn’t immediately comment, nor did the third-party campaigns.
Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, the state party’s executive director, said it appears the four contenders “have not faithfully observed” state election rules.
“None of these candidates are qualified to be on the Georgia ballot,” Olasonoye said. “We take the nomination process very seriously and believe everyone should follow the rules.”
Georgia law requires third-party and independent candidates to collect 7,500 signatures from registered voters to land on the presidential ballot. The campaigns of De la Cruz, Kennedy and West each said they submitted more than enough signatures ahead of this week’s deadline to meet the requirement.
But Republican lawmakers passed legislation this year that also allows “any political party or political body” that has achieved ballot access in at least 20 states or territories to automatically qualify for Georgia’s presidential ballot. Stein’s campaign is relying on that rule to cement a spot on the state’s ticket.
That new law is seen as an effort to boost former President Donald Trump by loading the ballot with outside contenders who could siphon votes from Biden. Fewer than 12,000 votes divided the two rivals in 2020 and even small shifts in voting patterns could be decisive in November.
_____
©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
