Staff Reports
Maine, along with Colorado, has taken some steps to potentially prevent former President Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot for Super Tuesday. They claim he’s ineligible due to the 14th Amendment clause that disqualifies those who have “engaged in insurrection.” It’s like they’re saying, “Sorry, buddy, but you can’t play in our political playground.” But wait, there’s more! Maine has ranked choice voting, which the Republican Party won’t recognize because they’re not fans of the lower-performing candidates getting dropped and their voters’ second choices being added to the tabulations. They want to stick to the good ol’ first-choice ballots and leave it at that.
Super Tuesday: Maine rankled by Trump ballot access and ranked choice revolt https://t.co/VABk0whuHR via @dcexaminer
— ForthRight Strategy (@ForthRightStrat) March 5, 2024
The Maine Secretary of State, a Democrat by the name of Shenna Bellows, made a ruling in December that Trump couldn’t be on the ballot because of the 14th Amendment. But guess what? That decision has been paused until the Supreme Court steps in and makes the final call, which could happen as soon as Monday. It’s like a political cliffhanger! In the meantime, Trump’s name is on the ballot, and people have been casting their votes for him since early February.
The state GOP, or the Maine Republican Party, reminded voters that Trump’s name is still on the ballot and urged them to go out and vote. They even threw a little shade at Shenna Bellows and Joe Biden, urging people not to let them win. Drama, drama, drama!
Trump’s legal team seems to think that ranked choice voting could work in his favor since it allows for retabulating the ballots if he’s ultimately disqualified. They’re like, “Hey, no harm, no foul. If Trump gets the boot, we can just look at the second and subsequent choice candidates to determine the winner.” The GOP, on the other hand, has been vocal about not recognizing ranked choice voting and sticking solely to the first-choice ballots. They’re not having it, folks!
The state GOP chairman, Joel Stetkis, seems pretty confident that the Supreme Court will keep Trump’s name on the ballot. But he’s also open to some flexibility at the nominating convention. He’s like, “We’re not thrilled about it, but if push comes to shove, we’ll do what we gotta do to make sure our voters can pick their guy.” It’s like a political game of chess, and the GOP is strategizing their moves.
Other Republicans, like Senator Tommy Tuberville, are fired up about this whole situation. They’re saying that removing Trump from the ballots is messing with democracy and taking away voters’ rights. They’re not holding back in expressing their frustration.
At the end of the day, Maine’s early voting started in February, and they’ll begin counting the ballots in March. The polls seem to show Trump leading the pack by a landslide, leaving no doubt that he’s the favorite among Maine’s Republicans. It’s like a political rollercoaster, and everyone’s holding on tight for the wild ride ahead. Let’s see what twists and turns Super Tuesday brings!
