The co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party slammed a DNC effort to keep Jill Stein off the state’s presidential ballot as a “high risk, zero benefit action” that would likely cost Kamala Harris votes.
The state Supreme Court Monday refused to hear the suit filed by a staffer with the Democratic National Committee arguing the Greens were ineligible to place a candidate on the Wisconsin ballot. The court’s ruling didn’t offer any rationale other than plaintiff David Strange “is not entitled to the relief he seeks.”
State Green Co-chair Michael White said if the suit had been successful, it would’ve only prompted party members to write in Stein’s name on the November ballot.
“They’ve already lost voters who were uncommitted who might’ve voted for Kamala because of the actions by the Democratic Party trying to push her off the ballot,” White said.
Strange filed the petition for original action with the Supreme Court a week ago arguing the Green Party doesn’t have any members eligible to nominate presidential electors. Without any electors, the complaint argues, the party is ineligible to place someone on the presidential ballot.
A DNC spokesperson called the ruling disappointing because the Greens’ “violation of the law is crystal clear.”
State law requires parties fielding presidential candidates to have representatives meet the month before the election to select electors. Those attending that meeting must be a current office holder or a candidate for the Assembly or Senate. The Wisconsin Greens have no one who qualifies after they failed to put up any legislative candidates for this fall.
“WGP did not meet either of Wisconsin’s two simple requirements to nominate candidates, so it should not be on the ballot in November,” said DNC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.
The court’s ruling came a day ahead of the state Elections Commission meeting to certify candidates for the presidential ballot. Agency staff noted in materials prepared for Tuesday’s meeting that the Greens had met the requirements to qualify for the ballot other than a formal declaration from Stein’s running mate, Butch Ware. The party has a deadline next week to turn in that document, and White said it has already been sent to the commission.
The Green Party was blocked from putting a candidate on the 2020 Wisconsin ballot as Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 20,682 votes. In 2016, Stein received 31,072 votes when she was on the Wisconsin ballot in 2016, more than Donald Trump’s 22,748-vote winning margin over Hillary Clinton, and the presence of third-party candidates on swing state ballots has been closely watched nationally.
The state GOP moved to intervene in the DNC suit here, while the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a proposed brief representing voters who support the Green and Libertarian parties. The Greens also retained Michael Dean, who often represents Republicans, to defend them in the DNC suit.
White said the Green Party paid Dean what it could afford and believes donors who are likely Republicans helped pick up the rest of the tab. He rejected criticisms from Dems over working with Republicans on the suit, noting Dems helped the party in 2016 when Stein initiated a recount of Wisconsin’s presidential results after Donald Trump won the state by less than 23,000 votes.
The Green Party provided WisPolitics language from its retainer agreement with Dean in which he noted a third party firm had been retained by another third party to assist him. Dean noted he didn’t know “who has retained that firm, although I believe it is retained by Republican interests and is providing its services for that purpose.”
“Both parties are guilty of trying to manipulate us,” White said. “We just stand up for the people and the right to vote.”
