Think "they" will let this happen? Lawsuit May Put Libertarian in SC Senate Seat

[ZakCarter]

"A South Carolina election law may put a Libertarian Party candidate in a Charleston-area (District 42) Senate seat. The seat was left vacant on May 31, when Democrat Robert Ford resigned due to a scandal surrounding the use of public funds at adult establishments. A special election was held on October 1 and won by Democrat Marlon Kimpson, who garnered 79.6% of the vote. See article.

Republican Billy Shuman Jr. got 19% of the vote, while Libertarian Party candidate Alex Thornton got just 1.2%.

Jeremy Walters, Chairman of the Libertarian Party in York County, S.C., though, filed a lawsuit on September 26 contending that both the Republican and Democrat candidates violated a state election law. According to Section 8-13-1356 of the S.C. Code of Laws, political candidates must file their Statements of Economic Interest (SEI, an income disclosure form) for the previous calendar year along with their declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination.

Both Kimpson and Shuman listed 2013 on their SEIs, and Thornton was the only candidate to fill out the form correctly. The same law got 250 candidates kicked off the ballot in 2012, and though Governor Nikki Haley signed a bill this year attempting to mitigate the effects of this legislation, those changes had not yet taken effect because they had yet to be approved by the Department of Justice."

Read the rest of the article at:

http://benswann.com/exclusive-interview-lawsuit-may-put-libertarian-in-south-carolina-senate-seat/

[erowe1]

Governor Nikki Haley signed a bill this year attempting to mitigate the effects of this legislation

That seems like a pretty important fact to get so little attention in the story. How exactly does it mitigate the effects? And would it apply to this case?

[angelatc]

No, I do not think they will let this happen. Laws only apply to little people.

[Keith and stuff]

Sounds like the LP candidate is trying to take advantage of the very oppressive election laws. That's highly ironic because election laws are typically used to keep people like him from running, or at least being taken seriously.

Something about reaping what you sow...

[nobody's_hero]

This has happened before in other states, and I'm afraid that using the court system to try to squeeze your way into office as a 3rd party candidate is like vowing to only eat at Burger King because McDonald's made you fat.

Besides, nothing brings democrats and republicans together like ganging up on libertarians.

[openfire]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that they won't let that happen. lol

[brandon]

Trying to subvert overwhelming popular will by the most trivial of technicalities imaginable. Maybe next election the Libertarians will get beet by the Green candidate as well.

[Origanalist]

Lawsuit Victory: Libertarian Party Secures Ballot Access for All Third Parties

By: Joshua Cook May 3, 2014

Walters did more than just secure his own fate, but he also helped all other South Carolina third parties to have equal ballot access.

http://benswann.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/jeremy-walters.jpg

Like a master chess player, the South Carolina Libertarian Party out maneuvered the Republican-controlled legislature and the state Supreme Court, forcing them to not only give the libertarians ballot access but to ensure that all third parties have ballot access as well.

According to the new South Carolina election law, Act 61, political parties must get permission from other parties in order to nominate their candidates by convention. The problem was the S.C. Elections Commission denied the Libertarian Party a primary because “they couldn’t afford it.” As reported by Joshua Cook, third parties like the Libertarian Party were denied access to a primary, forcing the party to sue and take the case to the state Supreme Court.

Libertarian Jeremy Walters, who is running for a state house seat, wanted to make sure that he would not be thrown off the ballot because on this new law requirement.

In 2012, over 200 candidates were thrown off the ballot for not filing correctly.

Jeremy Walters explained to Cook why he challenged the law:
continued...


Read more: http://benswann.com/lawsuit-victory-libertarian-party-secures-ballot-access-for-all-third-parties/#ixzz30cR6tDfk
Follow us: @BenSwann_ on Twitter

[HOLLYWOOD]

SCGOP was very establishment and corrupt... the chairman intentionally discarded anything for Ron Paul and his campaign, blacked him out, while holding numerous PR events and fundraisers for; Bachmann, Gingrich, Santorum, and Iz-Becki-Becki-Stan clown for a year stretch.

Now the scum passed his initiation and has move to Washington DC to work with Rinse Prebuis & the RNC. The new SCGOP chair is pretty good from what I hear.