Are Democratic Officials’ Efforts to Bar Donald Trump From Ballots Undemocratic?
Destroying democracy to save it: Maine shows the danger of zealots in our legal system
“You had me at hello.” That line from the movie “Jerry Maguire” came to mind this week after yet another Democratic secretary of state moved to prevent citizens from voting for former president Donald Trump.
Maine’s Shenna Bellows issued a “decision” that declared Trump an “insurrectionist” and ineligible to be president. She joined an ignoble list of Democratic officials in states such as Colorado who claim to safeguard democracy by denying its exercise to millions of Americans.
Yes, Trump should be removed from the ballot
The officials in Colorado and Maine who have ruled that Donald Trump should be removed from their state ballots because of the former president’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol have done the right, courageous thing. They deserve praise for aggressively defending American democracy from Trump, which far too many others — including the Justice Department under President Biden — have failed to do.
Trump Should Not Be Disqualified by an Ambiguous Clause
Challenges to disqualify Donald Trump from the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment are popping up all over the country. On Thursday the secretary of state of Maine ruled that Mr. Trump would be ineligible for the state’s primary ballot, a decision that can be appealed to the state’s Supreme Court. On Wednesday the Michigan Supreme Court ruled narrowly that the state will allow Mr. Trump to stay on the primary ballot but left open a potential future challenge to his inclusion on a general-election ballot.