A state panel that was asked to remove former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot has tossed out the challenge, marking a blow for a slate of voters who oppose his ballot eligibility in the Bay State.
The State Ballot Law Commission on Monday dismissed the Trump primary ballot objections, ruling that it does not have jurisdiction to move the matter forward.
The challengers to Trump’s ballot eligibility said his name should not appear on the Republican primary ballot, arguing that he “engaged in rebellion and insurrection against the Constitution in the United States.” They argued that he should be disqualified from the presidency — and any other public office — under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
The state panel dismissed the challenges on Monday.
“The Commission, having reviewed the materials submitted, has determined that the State Ballot Law Commission does not have jurisdiction over the matters presented,” the commission wrote in its ruling.
“At this point, there are no nominees and instead only candidates seeking a nomination,” the commission later wrote.
The presidential primary in Massachusetts does not result in the election of an actual named presidential “nominee,” according to the state panel.
“Unlike state primaries, where the winner at the state primary appears as the party nominee at the general election, presidential primary winners do not,” the commission added.
“Instead… the state committees of the respective political parties nominate the presidential electors, who must be listed on a certificate of nomination on which each elector must accept their nomination and pledge to vote for the president and vice president candidates named in the filing,” the commission wrote. “While the Commission’s jurisdiction, as discussed above, includes objections to certificates of nomination, the Commission has previously determined that the electors are the only candidates subject to challenge.”
Trump has been removed from primary ballots in other states, a case that will be heading to the Supreme Court next month.