by Charlotte Hazard
Former President Donald Trump was removed from Maine’s primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause on Thursday.
The decision was made by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (pictured above, left), whom Trump’s legal team requested be disqualified from ruling whether or not Trump is eligible for the 2024 ballot.
In other states, plaintiffs have sued regarding Trump’s eligibility, but in Maine, the Secretary of State first weighs in and the decision can be challenged in court.
Maine has only four electoral votes but it’s one of two states to split them, and Trump won one of Maine’s electors in 2020.
Bellows determined that the former president could not run for office due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. She argued his actions violated the 14th Amendment.
Earlier this month, the Colorado Supreme Court booted Trump from the state’s ballot, arguing that he had engaged in an insurrection as well.
However, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced shortly after the appeal that she will include Trump on the primary ballot on the Jan. 5 certification deadline, unless the Supreme Court decides not to take up the case or rules in agreement with the state.
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Charlotte Hazard is a 2022 Liberty University alumni who graduated with a major in journalism and a minor in government.
Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
