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Virginia Primary Ballot Controversy: A Legislative Fix Elusive Amidst Party Disputes

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Romney pokes fun at Gingrich's Virginia primary ballot woes, drawing a comparison to a classic TV episode. However, the issue is far from amusing for the former House speaker, who could be excluded from the ballot alongside Gov. Rick Perry. Influential Virginians, including two former state party chairs, are urging the state legislature to pass emergency legislation to rectify the situation.

Two former state party chairs, Democrat Paul Goldman and Republican Pat McSweeney, joined Bill Pascoe, executive vice president of Citizens for the Republic, in calling for legislative action. Pascoe suggests a simple fix: if the FEC qualifies a candidate for matching funds, they should automatically qualify for the Virginia ballot. However, Virginia House Majority Leader Kirk Cox (R) argues that there's insufficient time to pass legislation.

Meanwhile, Gingrich is pointing fingers at the system and alleged fraud, claiming that thousands of signatures were falsified. Gov. Perry, on the other hand, is taking a different approach, filing a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the Virginia ballot access law.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Virginia ballot access law, which requires 10,000 signatures and 400 from each congressional district, has been criticized for its restrictive nature.
  • Both Gingrich and Perry submitted more than 10,000 signatures but were deemed ineligible due to the signature validation process.
  • Two former Virginia party chairs are advocating for emergency legislation to establish a new standard for participation in a presidential primary.
  • The lawsuit filed by Gov. Perry challenges the constitutionality of the Virginia ballot access law, arguing that it unconstitutionally restricts access to the ballot.
  • Citizens for the Republic is working with the two former party chairs to urge the state legislature to pass a more inclusive ballot access law.
  • Former House Speaker Gingrich is alleging fraud, claiming that thousands of signatures gathered by his campaign were falsified.
  • The disputed Virginia ballot access law has been in place since the 1970s, but this is the first time many candidates have struggled to meet the requirements.

Statistics:

  • 10,000: the number of signatures required for ballot access in Virginia.
  • 4,000: the number of signatures collected by Gingrich, but deemed invalid due to alleged forgery.
  • 11,100: the number of signatures collected by Perry, but deemed invalid due to non-resident signature-gatherers.
  • 400: the number of signatures from each congressional district required for ballot access.
  • 11: the number of congressional districts in Virginia.
  • 2: the number of major party candidates who have qualified for the Virginia primary ballot (Romney and Paul).

Sources:

  • Bill Pascoe, executive vice president of Citizens for the Republic
  • Paul Goldman, former Virginia Democratic Party chairman
  • Pat McSweeney, former Virginia Republican Party chairman
  • Kirk Cox, Virginia House Majority Leader
  • Richard Hasen, University of California, Irvine election law scholar
  • Richard Winger, Ballot Access News editor
  • CNN
  • New Hampshire news sources
  • Ballot Access News article on Michael Osborne's lawsuit

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