“You’re right. This is not the state’s problem. It is a VIRGINIA GOP rule.”
GOP rules always helps to deter non establishment candidates by various means. They have never wanted the grass roots to be in charge in any state.
“This is not a law. The State does not require the political parties to submit their candidate lists 3 1/2 months before the primary election. It is an in-house Virgina GOP rule. Which can and should be revised.”
Not from the establishment perspective. This worked out perfectly for them. It was not after all a change from prior years was it? As for the 2 who qualified: Practice makes perfect, and submitting 15,000 signatures ensured no scrutiny and automatic qualification.
The fact that if you manage to present more than 15,000 signatures that none of the 15,000 need to be legitimate makes the rule arbitrary.
Since the rule is arbitrary, it violates the Equal Protection clause and since it discriminates against honest politicians in favor of crooks (who can gather 15,000 fraudulent signatures in a single day) it violates the due process rights of the candidates whose petitions have been invalidated.
We have not seen the end of this story.