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Did the VA GOP change the rules on primary ballot access in November 2011?
Redstate ^ | 12/26/2011 | Moe Lane

Posted on 12/26/2011 8:40:42 AM PST by TBBT

Richard Winger over at Ballot Access News has an EXTREMELY interesting post (link via here) on the mess that the Virginia Republican party has found itself in over… access to the ballot in Virginia. For those coming in late, background here and here: the very short version is that the VA GOP only certified Mitt Romney and Ron Paul for its primary ballot. Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich both had too many signatures tossed; Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum, and Michele Bachmann didn’t even try. Of the seven candidates, one (Romney) had more than enough signatures (15K) to bypass the verification process entirely. All of this has caused a lot of agitation among Republicans following the primary process, of course; and not just from people who disapprove of what the VA GOP has done. There has been a good deal of defending of the outcome; and one argument heavily used in this defense has been that the campaigns all knew the rules and that previous Republican campaigns were able to get on the ballot, so clearly a competent current Republican campaign should have done so.

One small problem with that: as Winger argues, the rules were allegedly drastically changed. In November of this year.

(Excerpt) Read more at redstate.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: 2012gopprimary; backstabberromney; benedictromney; bishopromney; gopcannotbetrusted; newt; newt2012; norules4romney; perry; romneyabovethelaw; romneydirtytricks; romneytricks; roviantricks; rpv; saboteurromney; secretrules4romney; smellslikemitt; va2012; vagop
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To: COBOL2Java

And where did you come up with that fairy tale that signatures were never verified until this year? There has been lots of misinformation tossed out as fact. In the coming days, you will get the real facts as to what happened. Stay tuned.


41 posted on 12/26/2011 10:20:08 AM PST by kabar
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To: COBOL2Java

Great post...

“Prior to this new standard, all you needed was 10,000 signatures. Newt, Perry, Paul, and Romney all met that standard.”

AND more then enough signatures needed to meet that previous standard.


42 posted on 12/26/2011 10:20:17 AM PST by ConfidentConservative (I think, therefore I am conservative.)
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To: kabar
In the coming days, you will get the real facts as to what happened.

Translation: Mitt and his pals in the Republican Establishment will be doing some incredible damage-control. Expect to see more focus-group tested spin this week!

43 posted on 12/26/2011 10:24:25 AM PST by COBOL2Java (Obama is the least qualified guy in whatever room he walks into.)
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To: kabar

"Damn that alternate media! I had Bob, Bill and the Republican Party of Virginia all set to get things fixed for me! I HATE FreeRepublic! I HATE them!"


44 posted on 12/26/2011 10:27:32 AM PST by COBOL2Java (Obama is the least qualified guy in whatever room he walks into.)
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To: TBBT

The described events have Repubic Establishment stink all over them.


45 posted on 12/26/2011 10:28:25 AM PST by YHAOS (you betcha!)
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To: COBOL2Java

Nice ‘red star’ there, Mitt...


46 posted on 12/26/2011 10:29:17 AM PST by who knows what evil? (G-d saved more animals than people on the ark...www.siameserescue.org.)
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To: TBBT
The establishment is manipulating the rules to circumvent the intent of the voters -- period exclamation!

47 posted on 12/26/2011 10:30:16 AM PST by Gene Eric (Save a pretzel for the gas jets.)
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To: Gene Eric

Anyone know if Mark Levin will be back on tonight? He’s a Virginian too. Would be interesting to get his take on the events of the last few days.


48 posted on 12/26/2011 10:32:39 AM PST by COBOL2Java (Obama is the least qualified guy in whatever room he walks into.)
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To: Gideon7
Pat Mullins is always sending me emails about this, that and the other thing.

So, he's a Mitbot.

Hmm.

He'd be better off living in Hell than coming around here anymore.

49 posted on 12/26/2011 10:33:32 AM PST by muawiyah
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To: Gideon7

Do you know the date on the letter from Chairman Pat Mullins?


50 posted on 12/26/2011 10:33:49 AM PST by 103198
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To: ConfidentConservative; Free Vulcan
Worse, we have a situation where murder might have been involved in this. We really need to know what that "vote checker" was prepared to say publicly before they killed his wife.

You get Mitbots doing your dirty work you end up with "The Clintons" making sure Betty Curry gave the right testimony.

Could well be Eric Holder out there helping Mitt get the nomination.

These Democrats will do anything.

51 posted on 12/26/2011 10:37:16 AM PST by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah

Do you have any links? Would like to read it.


52 posted on 12/26/2011 10:39:50 AM PST by ConfidentConservative (I think, therefore I am conservative.)
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To: COBOL2Java
Mitt isn't my candidate. I am active in the GOP in VA. You will hear more information about why Newt didn't make it from Mullins and others. The fact that Newt had to fly back from NH on Dec 21 in a frantic effort to gather signatures one day before the deadline speaks volumes about his campaign organization. It is inexcusable for a serious candidate, especially for someone who has lived 10 years in the state, which happens to be in the community where I live as well.

Newt's campaign responded to the decision that he was not on the ballot by talking about a write in campaign, which is expressly prohibited in primaries by VA law. It made him look even sillier. Perhaps Newt didn't think he would be in the position he is in now when the candidates were notified about the requirments in March or when he announced that he would run for the nomination in May. July was the month that the petitions could be started. Newt had almost 6 months to gather 10,000 valid signatures with at least 400 coming from VA's 11 Congressional districts. This is not a high bar to meet for someone who has the political contacts as the former Speaker in a state where he has lived for 10 years. Casting blame on others and decrying the rules just doesn't cut it.

I don't like the fact that we will have just two Rep candidates on the ballot in the March. I wish all of the current ones were on it. I am particularly disappointed that Santorum and Bachmann didn't even bother to try.

53 posted on 12/26/2011 10:43:06 AM PST by kabar
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To: ConfidentConservative; Josh Painter; Jim Robinson; apocalypto; Apogee; bksanders; ...
the rules were allegedly drastically changed. In November of this year.

Yes, Good point, This Virginia situation is a HUGE mess. There are MANY problems with what the RPV has done.

In the case of Osborne v. Boyles, on October 24th independent state delegate candidate Michael Osborne filed suit ... So, YES, the recent change was likely based on that.

But in addition to that flaw, Osborne was running for a STATE office, not a Presidential Primary.
http://www.varight.com/news/virginia-may-have-improperly-excluded-signatures-from-perry-gingrich-a-recount-may-be-needed/

Virginia law REQUIRES an address on petitions for state offices: § 24.2-506
...signed by the number of qualified voters specified below after January 1 of the year in which the election is held and listing the residence address of each such voter.

Virginia law does NOT require an address on petitions for Presidential Primaries: § 24.2-545

This law regulating primary signatures is clearly separate. § 24.2-545 specifically does NOT require addresses, nor the signatures to be taken after January 1st.
B. Any person seeking the nomination of the national political party for the office of President of the United States, or any group organized in this Commonwealth on behalf of, and with the consent of such person, may file with the State Board petitions signed by at least 10,000 qualified voters, including at least 400 qualified voters from each congressional district in the Commonwealth, who attest that they intend to participate in the primary of the same political party as the candidate for whom the petitions are filed. Such petitions shall be filed with the State Board by the primary filing deadline. The petitions shall be on a form prescribed by the State Board and shall be sealed in one or more containers to which is attached a written statement giving the name of the presidential candidate and the number of signatures on the petitions contained in the containers. Such person or group shall also attach a list of the names of persons who would be elected delegates and alternate delegates to the political party’s national convention if the person wins the primary and the party has determined that its delegates will be selected pursuant to the primary. The slate of delegates and alternates shall comply with the rules of the national and state party.
It is reasonable for some voters to understand that Virginia law has NEVER required the address on those primary petitions. It is optional, just like the SSN on the presidential petition form is also optional.

I believe there is also a recent Virginia court precedent where a petition gatherer was slightly in error on something, and the judge ruled that the voter should not be disenfranchised. The voter's intent to sign the petition outweighed the slight technical difficulty.



P.S. I wonder how many Romney petitions were gathered by ACORN spin-offs,
and say just "Mickey Mouse" or "Donald Duck"? We may never know because Romney got tipped off
that 15000 would be the magic number where no petitions are examined!




(Gingrich-haters, please do not address or reply to me.)
54 posted on 12/26/2011 10:45:26 AM PST by Future Useless Eater (Chicago politics = corrupted capitalism = takeover by COMMUNity-ISM)
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To: EagleUSA

And the fish is certainly Massa2shits cod.

Anyone thinking Mr. Nice smilely Mitt is not a dirty politician has a big surprise in store.


55 posted on 12/26/2011 10:46:10 AM PST by X-spurt
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To: kabar

>>Perhaps Newt didn’t think he would be in the position he is in now when the candidates were notified about the requirments in March or when he announced that he would run for the nomination in May...

I think that is the real crux of it...I don’t think Newt thought for a second he would be in this position (near the lead) at this point, so it(the VA requirements) really wasn’t a concern. Did anyone else, 6 months ago, believe it either?


56 posted on 12/26/2011 10:46:50 AM PST by qwerty1234
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To: COBOL2Java
Getting on Virginia’s ballot was a test of organizational skill and grassroots strength. It was also something much more mundane: it tested whether campaigns could pay attention to a calendar and read instructions. For those complaining that Virginia’s rules are too tough — the ballot access requirements have been largely unchanged since 1999. VA Code § 24.2-545. Presidential primary.
57 posted on 12/26/2011 10:47:32 AM PST by kabar
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To: 103198

The PDF file contains a hidden Microsoft Word 2010 creation date of 12/21/2011.


58 posted on 12/26/2011 10:48:32 AM PST by Gideon7
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To: kabar

More info for you,

But what has not been reported is that in the only other presidential primaries in which Virginia required 10,000 signatures (2000, 2004, and 2008) the signatures were not checked.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2825195/posts


59 posted on 12/26/2011 10:49:31 AM PST by ConfidentConservative (I think, therefore I am conservative.)
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To: kabar

The party sets some standards ~ the Democrats don’t validate anything and don’t care to ~ even if it could be done who among them would trust the others anyway?


60 posted on 12/26/2011 10:50:10 AM PST by muawiyah
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