Democrats appeal decision adding two minor candidates to Georgia presidential ballot

ATLANTA — The Democratic Party of Georgia is appealing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s decision last week to include independent Cornel West and socialist Claudia De la Cruz on Georgia’s presidential ballot.

In putting West and De la Cruz on the Nov. 5 ballot, Raffensperger overruled an initial decision by an administrative law judge to keep the two off the ballot because of improper nominating petitions.

“It is contrary to a federal court order permanently enjoining the secretary from requiring more than a total of 7,500 signatures on a nominating petition for a candidate to obtain ballot access for the office of president of the United States,” Raffensperger wrote Aug. 29 in his decision.

The secretary’s ruling put six candidates on the presidential ballot: Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, former Republican President Donald Trump, Libertarian Chase Oliver, the Green Party’s Jill Stein, West, and De la Cruz.

With West and De la Cruz running to the left of Harris, Democrats are concerned they could siphon votes away from Harris in Georgia, a battleground state where polls show Trump and Harris in a virtual tie.

“A judge affirmed that none of these candidates were qualified to be on the Georgia ballot,” said Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “The secretary of state ignored the judge’s ruling that found each party failed to play by the rules. State election law is clear.”

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Capitol Beat.