People don’t have the right to elect ineligible candidates. That seems obvious, but it apparently needs to be reiterated as the Supreme Court considers Donald Trump’s ballot eligibility.
The latest cause for that reminder is an amicus brief that was just filed on the docket ahead of high court arguments, which are set for Feb. 8. It’s from a group of Colorado voters who want Trump elected president again. They wrote to the justices that “given their intended electoral choice in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, [they] have a substantial interest in the outcome of this litigation as the franchise of voting for the candidate of their choice, in this instance former President Trump, is a fundamental constitutional right.”
There’s no question that the right to vote is sacrosanct. But putting to the side the GOP’s voter suppression efforts, no one has the right to see ineligible candidates hold office — whether they’re disqualified due to age, residency, citizenship or, as is being litigated in Trump’s case, for being an insurrectionist.
These Colorado voters worry that keeping Trump off the ballot under the 14th Amendment would “upend the legitimacy of the 2024 presidential election before the first votes are even cast.” If there were no rules about who could hold office, then it would certainly be illegitimate to arbitrarily keep people off the ballot. But if the Supreme Court deems Trump constitutionally unqualified, then it would be illegitimate to let him hold the presidency again.
Read the full article here