Jill Stein campaign bullish ahead of Ohio disqualification hearing

Columbus, Ohio - Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein and her campaign are confident of success ahead of a critical hearing on their disqualification in Ohio.

Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein has accused Ohio officials of election interference after she was disqualified ahead of the 2024 vote.
Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein has accused Ohio officials of election interference after she was disqualified ahead of the 2024 vote.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The Stein campaign filed a lawsuit in federal court this month after Ohio election officials announced votes for her in the 2024 election would not count.

Stein had filed as an independent in Ohio, as the Green Party lost state recognition several years ago. She listed former gubernatorial candidate Anita Rios as her placeholder running mate before Dr. Butch Ware received the nomination.

The campaign said an unauthorized person, not a staff member, later submitted paperwork to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office requesting Rios' withdrawal from the ballot – after the deadline to submit a new VP candidate. The signature on the document was reportedly not original but rather copy-pasted.

Trump meets with backtracking MSNBC Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski
Donald Trump Trump meets with backtracking MSNBC Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski

Nevertheless, LaRose's office accepted the form and said ballots cast for Stein would not be included in the presidential vote count.

Rios then sent a notarized affidavit to the secretary of state declaring that she had not authorized the withdrawal. LaRose rejected that form because the notarization was not "embossed," prompting Green Party accusations of inconsistency and election interference.

"We are confident that we will prevail in our lawsuit tomorrow and votes for Jill will be counted in Ohio," the Stein-Ware campaign wrote in an email to supporters sent Tuesday.

"These fights against shenanigans in multiple states have been a huge expense for the campaign, but it is worth it to ensure that the people, including the 8 million registered voters in Ohio, have an anti-genocide, pro-worker, climate action candidate on their ballots in November."

Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

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