Wisconsin election officials have rejected a demand from a Democratic National Committee employee to remove the Green Party’s presidential candidate, Jill Stein, from the ballot in the state. The complaint filed by DNC employee David Strange was dismissed because it named commissioners as respondents who couldn’t ethically decide a matter brought against them. This dismissal paves the way for a potential lawsuit to keep Stein off the ballot. Both the DNC and the Stein campaign have not yet responded to requests for comments on the matter.
The bipartisan elections commission had previously approved Stein’s ballot access in February as the Green Party had achieved more than 1% of the vote in a statewide race in 2022. Strange’s complaint argued that without any presidential electors in the party, it shouldn’t have a presidential candidate on the ballot as no party member holds a state officer position.
Stein’s presence on the ballot could impact the battleground state of Wisconsin where the margin of victory in the past presidential elections has been relatively small. In 2016, Stein garnered over 31,000 votes in Wisconsin, more than Donald Trump’s winning margin in the state, leading some Democrats to blame her for Trump’s victory.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court had previously excluded Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins from the ballot in 2020 due to a deadlock regarding proper nominating signatures. Concerns have been raised among Democrats that third-party candidates, including Stein, could draw crucial votes away from Democrat Kamala Harris, potentially benefiting Trump in the state.
The elections commission is set to convene on August 27 to assess the eligibility of four independent presidential candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, to appear on the ballot. Strange also filed a separate complaint to keep West off the ballot, citing issues with the notarization of his candidacy declaration, a claim that West’s campaign manager has countered. Notably, Michigan election officials have already removed West from the ballot in their state over similar notary problems.