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Republican proposes law to let party endorsements place candidates on ballots; Secretary of State warns of enforcement and timing problems
Summary
Rep. Ben Koppelman’s bill would allow party district endorsements to prevent intra‑party primary challenges and require the Secretary of State to accept certificates of endorsement as the party’s ballot nominee unless an enforcement complaint shows a bylaw or legal violation. The Secretary of State opposed one enforcement provision as an improper
Representative Ben Koppelman told the House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee that House Bill 14‑24 would let political parties use district endorsements to determine which candidates appear on primary ballots and would create a process for validating those endorsements.
Koppelman said the proposal is intended to give political parties greater control over who uses the party label on ballots while preserving a pathway to the general election for candidates who fail to win or who are not part of a party endorsement. “If a political party issues certificates of endorsement under this chapter, no other candidate seeking the same office may appear on that primary election ballot as a representative of the same party issuing the certificate of endorsement,” Koppelman said, explaining that candidates who do not receive an endorsement could still run in the general election as independents or seek another party’s backing.
Koppelman also…
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