COLUMBUS, Ohio — Presidential candidate Jill Stein from the Green Party has initiated a legal action in federal court regarding Ohio election officials’ decision to disregard votes cast for her. This ruling came after her running mate was officially announced by the national party, subsequent to a state-imposed deadline.

Stein’s lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Columbus, includes the name of her running mate, who was registered on the state ballot, as well as three voters from Ohio. The legal claim revolves around the idea that the decision violates their constitutional rights pertaining to free speech, association, and equal protection, alongside the voting rights of the Ohio voters involved.

Due to the Green Party’s loss of state recognition in previous years, Stein initially filed as an independent candidate in Ohio. To complete the state ballot, she temporarily listed Anita Rios — former Green Party nominee for Ohio governor in 2014 — as her running mate. This was intended as a stopgap measure until Butch Ware was nominated to join her ticket at the Green Party’s national convention this past August.

However, the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office allowed for Rios’s name to be withdrawn from the ballot but asserted that there was no possibility of adding Ware’s name, as the deadline for amending an independent vice presidential candidate for the 2024 ballot had expired. Dan Lusheck, a spokesperson for the office, indicated to local media that although Stein’s name will still be present on ballots being sent to overseas and military voters, any votes cast for her will not be counted.

The lawsuit states that the letter of withdrawal was submitted by a local party official without the consent or knowledge of Rios. The plaintiffs are requesting that the federal court grant a preliminary injunction and a restraining order to ensure that any votes for both Stein and Rios are officially counted.

In response to requests for comment on the lawsuit, Lusheck reiterated that the office’s stance on this matter remains unchanged. In the 2016 election, as the Green Party’s presidential candidate, Stein garnered 46,271 votes in Ohio, which accounted for approximately 0.84% of the total statewide vote.