Ballot Access News reports that on September 27, the Louisiana Libertarian Party filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking that Bob Barr be put back on the ballot. Previously, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana ruled that Barr’s filing fell within a three day grace period when the Secretary of State extended the deadline. The Secretary of State’s office was closed the week of the deadline, and some of the electors whose signature was needed for the paperwork were evacuated, due to Hurricane Gustav. Yesterday, the US Fifth District Appeals Court reversed that ruling.
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Louisiana has good election laws that way; it’s a shame this crook Dardenne is shitting all over them.
The Louisiana Sec. of State has released its finalized (barring the intervention of the Supreme Court) ballot lineup for the presidential race:
http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/Portals/0/elections/pdf/2008%20Presidential%20Electors.pdf
The Louisiana ballot is interesting in that it lists the names of all the elector candidates (who are, of course, the real candidates in the Nov. election).
Another interesting feature of the Louisiana ballot is the listing of the names of all the parties, regardless of whether or not they are “recognized.” The recognized parties do get an advantage, though, in that they are placed before the “independent” slates.
AnthonyD- No. It’s deplorable to take a decision over which Louisiana is sovereign to the the nationalist Supreme Court. Barr is not only not a libertarian; he’s not a conservative or a “states’ rights” man either. He’s just a walking embodiment of hypocrisy masquerading as a bipedal humanoid.
There are lots of factors to consider in this case, but much attention is being given to the “three-day grace period.†The assumption being made is that the grace period MUST run from the last day of qualifying.
However, La. RS 18:1253(E) only says that the three-day grace period runs from “5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in September.†It does not say that the grace period runs from the end qualifying, nor does it say that a new grace period is automatically created if the qualifying period is re-opened.
The grace period that the statute allows for recognized parties expired at 5:00 p.m. on September 5. If the Sec. of State or the courts chose to ignore the statute and re-open qualifying on September 8, there is no reason that we should assume that their action also revived the unfair advantage that the statute gave to “recognized” parties.
I do hope that the Libertarian slate and the Socialist slate both make it onto the ballot in Louisiana, but I don’t see why the Libertarians should have a legal advantage over the Socialists in this case. Whatever advantage Louisiana law gave the Libertarians was lost win they failed to meet the September 5 deadline.
I’m not exactly on the Bob Barr bandwagon, but due to the fact that there was a hurricane in Louisiana ust prior to the filing deadline, I think that it is reasonable to say that he should get an extentension and should be included on the Lousisiana ballot.
G.E.,
I assume you mean the Appeals court reversal?
Deplorable.