LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Nevada Supreme Court ruled 5-2 on Friday that the Green Party made mistakes in its effort to qualify for the Nevada ballot.
The ruling that the Green Party’s petition obtained signatures using incorrect language in the affidavit. The ruling means Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is ineligible for the ballot. Polls have shown Stein with about 1% of Nevada votes. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently dropped out of the race, was getting about 7% of the votes, polls showed.
And while the decision on the Green Party will have little effect on the November election, a dissenting opinion took a shot at the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office. Justice Douglas Herndon with Justice Kristina Pickering concurring cited an “egregious error” by the office.
“I am deeply concerned that our decision today excuses an egregious error by the Secretary of State’s office that will result in a significant injustice and I am convinced that, under the circumstances presented in regard to that error, invalidating the signatures violates the Green Party’s substantive due process rights,” the dissenting opinion said.
The dissent also stated that the Green Party had demonstrated “substantial compliance.”
The ruling is a victory for the Nevada Democratic Party, which filed the original lawsuit. A lower court ruling favored the Green Party, but the majority sided with the Democrats in Friday’s ruling.
“We applaud the Nevada State Supreme Court’s decision that the Green Party failed to meet state law. This ruling is a victory for Nevada voters and ensures that the Green Party plays by the same rules as other campaigns,” Nevada State Democratic Party Executive Director Hilary Barrett said.
The ballot for president will now include only Democrat Kamala Harris, Republican Donald Trump and Libertarian Chase Oliver.
