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Double Standard in Alabama: Both Major Parties Miss Ballot Deadlines But Will Be on Ballot Anyway

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The ballots of two counties in Alabama could be missing both Republican and Democrat candidates after both parties missed the deadline to certify their candidates with the probate judge.

According to WAFF, the parties had until noon last Wednesday, and now the probate judge’s office is turning to Alabama’s secretary of state as to how to proceed with this election.

The Marshall County Democratic Party handed in their list two days late, and the Republican Party turned their list on Monday.

“We still have several days before we have to start ordering ballots,” Marshall County Probate Judge Tim Mitchell said. “I think we have to have ballots in the circuit clerk’s office by September 20, I think. So we still have a few days to figure out what is supposed to happen or what’s going to happen.”

The same thing happened in Jackson County where Jackson County Probate Judge Victor Manning told WAFF that both parties in that county missed the deadline as well. There were many Republican county parties that missed the deadline and the GOP had to request emergency meetings.

Despite missing the deadline, both the Republican and Democrat Party will be on the ballot in Novemeber according to Marshall county Constitution Party’s facebook page.

“Looks like the Probate Judge will allow the major parties on the ballot for 2014, although he does mention that his decision may be overturned. Regardless, we are looking forward to a great campaign and excited about the enthusiasm for our party and it’s principles. For the record, we are very confident in our candidates this year, and would rather have a chance to run head to head, just not at the expense of the rule of law.”

 

Last year the Alabama secretary of state denied ballot access to James Hall because he lacked the required petition signatures.

“Our job is to execute the laws as they are written,” said Will Sutton, elections attorney in the office of Alabama’s secretary of state. In order for any exception to be made, he said, the laws would have to be rewritten.“The laws are statutory so any change would require action by the legislature,” Packard explained. “There’s no authority for the secretary of state to unilaterally change the signature requirement or the deadline.”

 

Apparently Alabama’s law only applies to everyone except the two major parties.

Joshua Cassity, Chairman of the Constitution Party of Alabama told BenSwann.com’s Joshua Cook that there is definitely a double standard here.

“In our opinion, we are the only qualified Party on the ballot,” said Cassity.

“The Alabama code says they didn’t meet the qualification. How is the Secretary of State of Alabama granting the probate judge the right to break the law? If the Libertarian Party or Constitution Party were late one day they would have thrown us off the ballot,” said Cassidy.

Cassidy said that because the Constitution Party’s candidates are the only legally certified candidates they they should be declared the winners.