With the big news that former President Donald Trump had declared his intent to run for presidency again in 2024, questions arose whether he would be eligible to appear on the ballot in the Republican primary.
Now, New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan has officially announced that Trump will be appearing on the ballot so long as he meets the requirements for filing and pays a $1,000 fee.
This has put to rest any concerns that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution could be used to keep him from appearing on the ballot in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary contest for Republicans each election season.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that those who have taken an oath to support the Constitution are barred from holding office again if they have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States, or given aid or comfort to its enemies.
Bryant “Corky” Messner even discussed filing a lawsuit if Trump attempted to put his name on ballots across different states.
However, Scanlan has made it clear that state law does not provide discretionary power when it comes to deciding who can appear on presidential primary ballots once someone files their candidacy and pays applicable fees under perjury penalties.
Scanlan further noted at a news conference held at New Hampshire’s State House in Concord that decisions like these should not be used as battlegrounds for testing constitutional questions since doing so can lead chaos and confusion among voters nationwide when ballots differ from one another based on individual state rulings alone.
Minnesota Secretary of State Scott Simon also pointed out last week that offices like his cannot take such action without court compulsion either way; ultimately this debate is likely only resolvable by U.S Supreme Court ruling.
Chris Ager, chairperson of New Hampshire GOP was present at Scanlan’s announcement and expressed satisfaction with how everything was handled thereafter; now they can move back into campaigning mode without worrying about legal disputes surrounding eligibility issues anymore.
