Maine Official Excludes Trump from 2024 Ballot, Setting Stage for Potential Legal Battle
The decision by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to exclude former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot in the state could have significant implications for the upcoming election, particularly given the narrow margins that the race is expected to be decided by.
Maine, which only has four electoral votes, is one of two states that divides them. Trump won one of Maine’s electors in 2020, making the decision to leave him off the ballot there a potential game-changer should he emerge as the Republican general election candidate.
Bellows’ decision comes on the heels of a similar ruling in Colorado, where the state’s Supreme Court removed Trump from the ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Although Colorado is not expected to be competitive for Republicans in November, the ruling has set a precedent for other states to consider.
The move also follows Trump’s lawyers asking Bellows to disqualify himself over tweets they alleged showed bias, questioning his impartiality in the matter.
According to Maine law, Bellows was required to hold a public hearing on the issue, which took place in December. Both sides were given the opportunity to present additional arguments after the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling, which played a significant role in Bellows’ decision.
However, Bellows’ decision is not the final say on Trump’s eligibility to appear on the ballot in Maine. The ruling can be appealed to Maine courts, and with the U.S. Supreme Court expected to make a decision on the matter in the near future, the legal battle is far from over.
Activists have also been calling on state election officials across the country to remove Trump from their states’ primary ballots under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. This has led to a growing discussion about interpreting the clause, which has rarely been used since the years after the Civil War.
The potential implications of Trump’s ineligibility in the Maine primary could have a significant impact on the 2024 race, particularly given Maine’s unique system of dividing its electoral votes by congressional districts. Trump won the state’s 2nd congressional district in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, and not appearing on the ballot there would cost him one Electoral College vote.
While the legal battle over Trump’s eligibility to run for president continues to unfold, the decisions being made at the state level could have lasting effects on the outcome of the 2024 election. Voters and political analysts alike will be closely watching the developments as the race continues to heat up.