COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Green Party is rallying its supporters to cast their votes for Jill Stein, despite those votes not being counted by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. Stein’s campaign has since filed a lawsuit aiming to compel Secretary of State Frank LaRose to acknowledge and count the votes cast for her.
The controversy stems from the withdrawal of Stein’s vice-presidential candidate, Anita Rios after a paperwork error led to the disqualification of the Stein campaign in Ohio. Rios, who served as a placeholder candidate until the campaign could finalize its choice of Butch Ware, reportedly did not authorize the withdrawal form submitted by the Ohio Green Party chair, which had a copy-pasted signature.
In response to the legal challenges, the Ohio Secretary of State’s office has maintained that they acted within legal boundaries. A representative 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 form was reportedly also submitted after the deadline—70 days before the election for removing a candidate from the ballot and 86 days for filing certification for a replacement candidate. Consequently, while the Stein/Rios ticket remains on the ballot, votes for them are not being counted.
The Stein campaign says they attempted to rectify the situation by submitting a notarized affidavit asserting that Rios had not authorized the withdrawal. Yet, the Secretary of State’s office rejected this affidavit, citing technical issues with the notarization. The campaign criticized this decision, highlighting the inconsistency of accepting the original unauthorized document while dismissing its valid submission.
Supporters of Stein have described the situation as “blatant election interference,” calling for greater transparency as the election approaches. The campaign argues that this incident reflects a broader pattern of challenges faced by third-party candidates across the country, aimed at suppressing their electoral participation.
The Stein campaign has appealed a federal court judge’s decision to abstain from hearing the lawsuit, expressing confidence that their legal efforts will ultimately lead to the counting of votes for Jill Stein in Ohio. “We urge all to still cast your votes for Jill. She is the best option,” stated Rios, reinforcing the campaign’s commitment to ensuring that every voter has a choice on their ballot.