Legal Marijuana Now! Party Presidential Ticket Certified as Write-In Option in Several States

The Legal Marijuana Now! Party of Minnesota’s presidential ticket of Dennis Schuller and Rudy Reyes has been confirmed by several states, including Minnesota, as an official write-in option for next month’s presidential election, according to the party.

In a press release shared earlier today with Independent Political Report by a party member, the Legal Marijuana Now! Party stated that Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon recently confirmed that write-in votes cast for Schuller and Reyes will be counted. The party further notes it has received write-in certification from election officials in several other states, including Delaware and West Virginia.

The Legal Marijuana Now! Party of Minnesota originally held its national convention in July, with approximately 30 delegates attending from Minnesota and Nebraska. Delegates selected Schuller and Reyes as the presidential ticket. Both candidates had run in the state party’s presidential primary earlier this year, with Schuller receiving the most votes behind Krystal Gabel, who had withdrawn from the race but remained on the ballot. However, the party later lost its automatic ballot line after a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling reclassified it from a major to a minor party.

According to the release, the party is officially recognized in two states—Minnesota and Nebraska—and also claims “unofficial branches” elsewhere, with active chapters in Hawaii, Iowa, Texas, and Vermont. Online remarks indicate that party members also unsuccessfully attempted to establish a recognized Legal Marijuana Now! affiliate in Vermont earlier this year.

Notably, there is also ongoing contention between the Legal Marijuana Now! Party of Nebraska and the Minnesota organization, with Nebraska Chair Mark Elworth Jr. previously stating to IPR that the Nebraska branch “has nothing to do with the Minnesota Party although the Minnesota Party claims them.” Additionally, the Nebraska branch held a separate convention, nominating independent Dr. Cornel West as its presidential candidate.

The press release also highlights several down-ballot candidates associated with the party, including Anthony Walsh, running for Congress in Minnesota’s third congressional district, and Cris Ericson, who is mounting a write-in campaign for U.S. Senate in Vermont. It also mentions Kerry Eddy, who won the Nebraska affiliate’s U.S. Senate primary in May but has since dropped out to endorse “pro-cannabis” independent Dan Osborn.