Posted on 01/11/2012 9:31:14 AM PST by BuckeyeTexan
In a five-page order yesterday, Judge Gibney of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, wrote:
The Court finds that there is a strong likelihood that the Court will find the residency requirement for petition circulators to be unconstitutional.(...)
If absentee ballots are printed, and particularly if they are mailed, it will impair the Court's ability to enter an order granting relief to the plaintiffs. They are presidential candidates and will have no chance to secure the delegates from Virginia at the Republican convention. The harm to them would obviously be irreparable.
(...)
The defendants point out that they will be hampered in getting the ballots out if they have to wait until after the hearing set on January 13, 2012, before printing ballots. (...) The incremental inconvenience to electoral officials is heavily outweighed by the public interest in the voting rights of citizens.
(...)
According to counsel for the defendants, local electoral boards order their own ballots from printing companies. Of course, the local boards are not parties to this suit, and are not subject to the Court's jurisdiction. The Court, therefore, has ordered the members of the State Board of Elections to send instructions to the local boards not to distribute ballots until after January 13, 2012. The Court has also ordered the defendants to instruct the local boards not to order ballots, if they have not already done so.
Read the full opinion at the link.
I could not include all of the candidates’ names in the title, but Gingrich, Huntsman, and Santorum joined the suit with Perry.
ping
Just a minute here....
This could be a GOOD thing.
This could finally show the ANTI-ROMNEY vote, in a one-on-one matchup
Thank you Judge Gibney. At last, a rational adult judgement from a court.
That’s good news!
Santorum and Huntsman didn’t even bother gathering petitions.
I read that Santorum did try, but came up short, so he didn’t submit. Someone on a thread said he had about 9000 signatures.
I don’t remember Huntsman doing anything, but putting him on the ballot is a small price to pay to get our conservatives on the ballot.
There are real problems ahead for Santorum and Gingrich because they have failed to establish good on the ground grassroots organizations to get out the vote. Debating may win points in the polls, but getting people to the voting booths wins elections. I don't see Gingrich winning in VA even if he gets on the ballot. I am no fan of Ron Paul, but he has built a very effective grassroots organization here in VA. Unfortunately, he will do well the primary, which is open.
The rules-is-rules-is-rules contingent is very saddened.
If Perry's on the ballot as a result, Newt will be too. With no signatures submitted, I don't see how Huntsman and Santorum get on the ballot.
“The rules-is-rules-is-rules contingent is very saddened.”
Unless the rules were changed in mid-stream.
legal ping
I would guess that to get on the ballot a candidate would have to show that the residency requirement for petition circulators inhibited them.
Romney Rocks......is that like a new pet rocks craze...?
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How else will Perrywinkle get his <1% if he’s not on the ballot?!
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