The Green Party presidential candidate, Jill Stein, will stay on the ballot in Wisconsin as the state Supreme Court declined to hear a Democratic challenge aiming to remove her. Concerns are raised by Democrats that third-party candidates like Stein could take away votes from Vice President Kamala Harris and potentially assist Republican Donald Trump in winning Wisconsin. Notably, Wisconsin’s history shows that small margins have determined the outcomes of several recent presidential elections.
David Strange, an employee of the Democratic National Committee, filed the challenge against Stein, questioning the Green Party’s eligibility to nominate presidential electors in Wisconsin due to its lack of state officeholders or authorized legislative candidates. The court’s decision to reject the challenge was communicated through an unsigned order without further clarification.
The Green Party, along with Republicans, argued that all legal requirements were met, allowing Stein to be included on the ballot. Stein expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, describing it as a victory against the DNC’s efforts to remove her. Michael White, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party, labeled the complaint as a tactic driven by fear from the Democratic Party and credited it with energizing Stein’s supporters.
Despite the disappointment expressed by Democratic National Committee spokesperson Adrienne Watson over the court’s decision, the Green Party retains its place on the ballot. In the 2016 election, Stein garnered over 31,000 votes in Wisconsin, a number that exceeded Trump’s winning margin in the state. Consequently, some Democrats hold Stein responsible for aiding Trump’s victory that year.
The complaint filed by David Strange contested the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s decision to grant the Green Party access to the ballot based on their candidate’s performance in a 2022 statewide race. Sheryl McFarland received nearly 1.6% of the vote in a race for secretary of state, meeting the legal threshold of more than 1% required for ballot access.
Furthermore, there are ongoing challenges to the candidacy of independent candidate Cornel West and independent Shiva Ayyadurai. The Wisconsin Supreme Court had barred Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins from the ballot in 2020 due to uncertainties surrounding his nominating signatures. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is expected to finalize the list of candidates certified to appear on the ballot in an upcoming meeting.
