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Minnesota Republican Party Forgot to File Paperwork to get Trump on the Ballot

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T

TehOh

Member
More here

Earlier this year at the state Republican convention in Duluth, the party picked its ten electoral college voters. The state party was also supposed to choose ten alternate electoral college names. It didn't.

Therein lies the problem.

What could've been an in-house mess went public yesterday, when blogger and former Republican Party of Minnesota official Michael Brodkorb noticed that something didn't look right about the Secretary of State's sample ballot. Donald Trump wasn't on it.

"The sample ballot online will generally lead to what's on the general election ballot," Brodkorb tells City Pages. "The reason Trump's name wasn't coming up on the Minnesota Secretary of State web site was because the Republican Party of Minnesota had not submitted this paperwork, which is due Monday."

By August 29, both major political parties must submit the requisite paperwork to the Minnesota Secretary of State's office so that their respective presidential candidates appear on the ballot. This information by law must include the presidential candidate's name as well as that of the vice president, the names of the party's ten Minnesota presidential electors, and the 10-person list of alternates.
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The Republicans have now filed the paperwork, but their solution opens them up to further legal challenges - which could keep Trump off the ballot altogether.

The party has attempted to piecemeal a solution, appointing alternate electors in a hastily called meeting Wednesday night, according to Brodkorb. (State GOP officials could not be reached for comment Thursday morning.) That solution defied party protocol, which calls for a 10-day notice for any on-the-fly party convention.

"So they have a problem now," says Brodkorb. "Their only recourse to fix it in this timetable was to appoint alternate presidential electors. But the problem with that is, there's no procedure within the party for that to happen. The only way they could've done was at the state convention."

According to Pioneer Press reporter Rachel Stassen-Berger, the state GOP filed the proper papers Thursday, and the Trump/Mike Pence team should appear on the sample ballot soon.

But Brodkorb suggests by circumventing the process, Republican Party exposed itself to possible legal challenges that would keep Trump's name off the ballot. Party leaders should "hope and pray" their last-minute appointment doesn't bother any party members.
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Two thoughts after reading this:
1) Forgot, or "forgot"? The Minnesota caucus voted overwhelmingly in favor or Rubio and against Trump.
2) I assume that nobody is actually going to challenge this in the name of party unity, but wouldn't it be amazing if there was a state where Trump - the nominee of a major party - didn't appear on the ballot?
 
G

gutter_trash

Banned
rick-perry-gop-debate-video-oops1.jpg
 
F

Faustek

Member
If I get that right it means that Trump, if they don't "fix" it somehow, will be unable to collect a single vote in Minnesota?
 
diablos991

diablos991

Can’t stump the diablos
1. This is slimy if t was done on purpose.
2. It wouldn't be amazing.

Get the man on the ballot.
 
Y

yanipheonu

Member
780946.gif


Whoops.

Someone remind me to write some Comedy of Errors based on all this after this election is over. It's comedy gold.
 
T

TehOh

Member
diablos991 said:
1. This is slimy if t was done on purpose.
2. It wouldn't be amazing.

Get the man on the ballot.
Click to expand...

In the interest of democracy, he should absolutely be on there. I guess that I meant "amazing" less in the sense of good, and more in the sense of historically interesting. Definitely would be interesting.

Not that he will win Minnesota. That state isn't going red anytime soon.
 
H

heliosRAzi

Banned
TehOh said:
In the interest of democracy, he should absolutely be on there. I guess that I meant "amazing" less in the sense of good, and more in the sense of historically interesting. Definitely would be interesting.
Click to expand...

In the interest of democracy, if they couldn't follow the rules/ meet the deadlines, he shouldn't be on there. And someone might challenge that.
 
V

Vicetrailia

Member
Trump is running the worst campaign possible. What a lack of leadership! He's so lucky that the system is set up the way it is.
 
I

iammeiam

Member
I kind of wish we lived in the alternate universe where nobody pointed it out until after Monday. It would have been amazing.
 
C

clevbrowns94

Member
Not like he was going to win there anyway. It would be even funnier if this happened in FL, OH, PA, or another place that will actually matter.
 
B

Blader

Member
Faustek said:
If I get that right it means that Trump, if they don't "fix" it somehow, will be unable to collect a single vote in Minnesota?
Click to expand...

If Trump was left off the ballot, the Minnesota GOP could theoretically coordinate a write-in campaign for Trump.
 
B

Bam Chowder

Member
MN resident here - This is hilarious but I do want him on the ballot. Mostly because there is no way in hell he is winning Minnesota anyways and I want voters to see that 'R' next to Trump's name and potentially have an impact on the other 'R's on the ballot (i.e. not vote for them).
 
T

thecouncil

Banned
clevbrowns94 said:
Not like he was going to win there anyway. It would be even funnier if this happened in FL, OH, PA, or another place that will actually matter.
Click to expand...

Is PA really in contention? The last time this state voted Republican in a presidential election was 1988. I doubt it's going to shift for Trump, of all people.
 
B

Bleepey

Member
TehOh said:
In the interest of democracy, he should absolutely be on there. I guess that I meant "amazing" less in the sense of good, and more in the sense of historically interesting. Definitely would be interesting.

Not that he will win Minnesota. That state isn't going red anytime soon.
Click to expand...

This, that said the Republicans are the party of voter suppression so it's hard to feel sorry for them. The irony is amusing if it was intentional.
 
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