COLUMBUS, Ohio — No ruling has been made in the ongoing lawsuit between Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein and the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, with Stein’s campaign accusing the office of election interference. The lawsuit centers on the withdrawal of Stein’s vice-presidential candidate, Anita Rios after the chair of the Ohio Green Party submitted paperwork. Parties were deposed on Friday, October 18, with the Ohio Secretary of State being represented by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.
Anita Rios was serving as a placeholder vice-presidential candidate until the campaign finalized Butch Ware as their official choice. However, the withdrawal form submitted by the Ohio Green Party chair, which featured a copy-pasted signature, was accepted by the Secretary of State’s office, disqualifying the Stein campaign in Ohio. The campaign claims Rios did not authorize the withdrawal, yet the form was still processed.
In response to the lawsuit, the Ohio Secretary of State’s office has taken a firm stance, maintaining that no wrongdoing occurred. A representative for the office stated, “Our office received a letter of withdrawal from Anita Rios, delivered to our office by the Ohio Green Party Chair. A candidate may withdraw from the race at any point leading up to Election Day.”
However, the withdrawal occurred after both key deadlines—70 days before the election to remove a candidate’s name from the ballot, and 86 days to file certification for a replacement candidate. As a result, the Stein/Rios ticket appears on the ballot, but votes cast for them are not being counted.
The Stein campaign says they attempted to correct the situation by submitting a notarized affidavit asserting that Rios had not authorized the withdrawal. The Secretary of State’s office rejected the affidavit, the campaign said, due to technical issues with the notarization, which the campaign has criticized, pointing to the inconsistency of accepting the original unauthorized document while rejecting their valid affidavit.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s office has declined to comment further on the lawsuit, reinforcing that the procedures followed were in line with legal requirements.
Supporters of Dr. Stein have called the situation “blatant election interference” and demand transparency as the election approaches. The campaign argues that this issue is part of a broader pattern of challenges they’ve faced across several states, which they believe are aimed at suppressing third-party candidates.
As of now, the lawsuit is pending in federal court, and a judge has yet to rule on whether votes for the Stein/Ware ticket will be counted in Ohio. This decision could have significant implications for Ohio’s 8 million registered voters as the November election draws closer.