The Minnesota DFL has filed a petition with the Minnesota Supreme Court to have 2016 Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump and his running-mate, Mike Pence, removed from Minnesota’s November’s ballot.
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“The Secretary of State accepted the certification and agreed to list Trump and Pence on the ballot despite the fact that Downey’s certification was untrue; the Republican Party’s alternate presidential electors were not nominated by the State Republican Party’s delegate convention called and held under the supervision of the State Republican Party Central Committee as required by Minn”.
The filing – submitted to the court Thursday night – argues that the Minnesota Republican Party failed to nominate “alternate presidential electors”, during its party convention last May.
Late last month, Minnesota residents who looked up a sample ballot online were stunned to find that Trump was nowhere to be found just two business days from the secretary of state’s deadline for major parties to get their tickets on the ballot. He said the party had previously submitted what it had thought was the necessary paperwork a month earlier.
The Trump campaign’s Minnesota spokesman Andy Post said the campaign had no immediate comment but was reviewing the suit.
In a press release issued Thursday night, the DFL said: “After being notified that they had failed to provide the names of alternative electors by the Secretary of State’s office, Republicans chose to appoint alternate electors in a closed-door meeting rather than electing them”.
Due to the alleged violation of Minnesota Law, Ken Martin and the Minnesota State DFL are asking that Trump/Pence names be removed from Minnesota’s November ballot.
The Supreme Court hasn’t scheduled a hearing in the case but usually moves swiftly to resolve election-related litigation.
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The court indicated to the DFL Party that it must justify that timing. Marc Elias, one of the Perkins Coie attorneys on the petition, has also been Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s general counsel.
