AG Intervenes in GOP Ballot Dispute as Blocked Candidates Join Suit
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has stepped up in the ongoing presidential candidate ballot flap and is calling for state legislators to amend the state's ballot-access laws to resolve a dispute over which Republican presidential candidates will be on the state's primary ballot in March.
Most agree the odds are long that lawmakers will do as he wishes.
Cuccinelli confirmed Saturday that he is pushing emergency legislation that would place on the ballot the names of Republican candidates who failed to collect enough voter signatures to qualify, notably Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul met the state's 10,000 signature requirement initially, sparking charges of fraud from Gingrich and a lawsuit from Perry.
Cuccinelli said he was pushing for the change "to make sure that the voters of Virginia are taken care of. They're a priority for me."
"I don't think that [tough standards to get on the ballot] is a good thing for Virginians. I expect that was put in there a long time ago so people can remain in control and party's could pick winners," he said.
"Recent events have underscored that our system is deficient," he said in a statement Saturday. "Virginia owes her citizens a better process. We can do it in time for the March primary if we resolve to do so quickly."
Cuccinelli's proposal is expected to state that if the Virginia Board of Elections certifies that a candidate is receiving federal matching funds, or has qualified to receive them, that candidate will upon request be automatically added to the ballot.
Two former Democratic attorneys general are backing the move, along with a former Democratic state party chairman and a former Republican state party chairman.
Former state Attorney General Tony Troy called the Virginia process a "legal and constitutional embarrassment." Fellow former top Virginia prosecutor Steve Rosenthal said: "This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. If it takes emergency legislation, then we need to do it."
A spokesman for Virginia Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell appeared to defend the state's strict ballot rules, but opened the door to reexamining them.
"Virginia's laws regarding ballot access are well known and have been in place for many years," spokesman Tucker Martin said. "All candidates seeking to be listed on the Virginia primary ballot in a statewide race have known the requirements well in advance. ... It is unfortunate that this year, for whatever reasons, some Republican candidates did not even attempt to make the Virginia ballot, while others fell short of submitting the required number of valid signatures."
Still, Martin said, "That leaves Virginia voters with only two Republican choices in the March primary, and the governor certainly would have preferred a broader field. He is always open to reviewing how Virginia's primary system can be improved to provide voters with more choices."
He said that if the legislature takes action, "the governor would review those changes thoroughly."
Perry's campaign applauded Cuccinelli in a statement Saturday afternoon.
"Virginia's onerous and restrictive ballot access rules do create serious constitutional problems and undermine the rights of citizens and candidates," the campaign said.
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