This post originally appeared at https://reforminggovernment.org/explain-it-to-me-wisconsin-supreme-court-denies-dnc-petition-for-original-action/

Wisconsin Supreme Court Denies DNC Petition for Original Action

What Happened: In a surprising decision, Monday afternoon the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied the DNC’s petition for original action, which was attempting to kick the Green Party presidential candidate off the fall ballot.  The Court issued a short decision determining “the petitioner is not entitled to the relief he seeks.” Then on Tuesday, the Wisconsin Election Commission (after extensive discussion) voted 4-2 to place the Green Party (in addition to other third parties) on the fall presidential ballot.  The Commission also voted separately 5-1 to place independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the fall presidential ballot.  Several Commission members noted during the debate the likelihood that the Commission’s decision to place the Green Party on the presidential ballot could quickly be challenged again in the courts.  IRG will continue to monitor the ongoing legal machinations and provide updates as needed.

Why it Matters: In the 2016 presidential election, the Green Party candidate for president received over 31,000 votes in Wisconsin.  In 2020, recognizing the impact of the Green Party candidate for president, a complaint was filed with WEC, ultimately preventing the placement of the Green Party candidate for president on the November ballot following the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s refusal to hear an original action challenging the WEC decision.  In light of the 23,000 vote margin for President Biden, many have argued the removal of the Green Party candidate from the ballot impacted the 2020 fall outcome. Successfully removing the Green Party candidate for president again in 2024 would have almost certainly had significant implications for the outcome in November.