Monday, May 14, 2012
Federal judges threw out a lawsuit that claimed the State Election Commission's decision to send partial ballots to military and overseas voters was a violation of federal law.
A federal three-judge panel rejected a claim Monday that military voters don't have enough time to vote in South Carolina state and local primary elections. A state Senate candidate filed the lawsuit last week after a state Supreme Court decision knocked almost 180 candidates off the June 12 primary ballot for failing to file statement of economic interest forms properly. The judges ruled that plaintiff Amanda Somers, who is running for state Senate District 5 in the Upstate, does not have standing to make the claims because her voting rights are not at stake and her attorney could not prove she would be harmed by any possible loss of military votes. Somer's lawyer, Todd Kincannon, argued that sending ballots that only had federal races …
The Lexington senator could now face resurfacing of an alleged 2010 duel challenge.
State Senator Jake Knotts is still feeling the heat after placing a legislative block on a measure that would allow many of the 180 disqualified candidates back on June primary ballots last Tuesday. Now, a South Carolina political blogger is claiming an alleged 2010 duel challenge could come up in the latest protests against the senator — who is a frequent target of conservatives who call him a "Republican in name only." Conservative groups across the state today are launching a grassroots effort called Operation Lost Vote with hopes of getting many Republican challengers to GOP incumbents tossed from the ballot added back. Roxanne Wilson, wife of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), confronted the Lexington Republican on Tuesday after the …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Todd Kincannon said the lawsuit he filed last week on behalf of senate candidate Amanda Somers would now focus solely on military absentee ballots.
An attorney says he will focus solely on allegations the state violated the Voting Rights Act in sending separate ballots overseas for federal and local races, the Associated Press reported. Todd Kincannon, who filed a lawsuit last week on behalf of Upstate Senate candidate Amanda Somer, will abandon his effort to reinstate nearly 200 candidates left off of June 12 primary ballots by a South Carolina Supreme Court decision, according to an article published on WSPA.com. In federal court Thursday, Judge Cameron Currie asked Kincannon to clarify some of his claims by Friday. And she asked the State Election Commission to file a response by Monday. Somers has been joined on the case by John Pettigrew Jr., who is running against S.C. Sen. …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
District court judge on Thursday afternoon sets fast deadlines in ballot battle.
COLUMBIA — A U.S. District Court judge on Thursday afternoon said she will ask for a special three-judge panel to be assembled on Monday in the battle over the S.C. ballot. Judge Cameron Currie asked Todd Kincannon, an attorney for Upstate S.C. Senate candidate Amanda Somers who filed the federal suit a week ago, to clarify some of his claims by Friday. And she asked the State Election Commission to file a response by Monday. Somers has been joined on the case by John Pettigrew Jr., who is running against S.C. Sen. Shane Massey in District 25, which includes a significant portion of Lexington County, including a portion of the town of Lexington. Somers was allowed to stay on the ballot, while Pettigrew was one of more than 180 who were …
A judge is expected to discuss the lawsuit Thursday regarding nearly 200 candidates whose names have been removed from ballots for the state's June 12 primary.
A hearing will be held Thursday in Columbia to discuss a lawsuit that stripped nearly 200 candidates off the ballots for the state's June 12 primary. The Associated Press reports that U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie is considering the matter at 3 p.m. On Wednesday, the Senate rejected a proposal that would have reinstated the candidates if they filed statements of economic interest by April 15, according to The State newspaper. That would have restored almost all the ousted candidates, state Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, told the paper. A Supreme Court ruling last week threw off candidates from the primary ballot who failed to submit written statements of economic interest. On Friday, state Senate candidate Amanda Somers filed a lawsuit…
Friday, May 4, 2012
An attorney acting on behalf of S.C. Senate candidate Amanda Somers filed a lawsuit this morning in federal court that challenges the S.C. Supreme Court's decision.
A South Carolina Senate candidate has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Columbia that would set aside this week's S.C. Supreme Court's ruling on the ballot controversy that has hijacked the electoral conversation just weeks ahead of the June primaries. Todd Kincannon, an attorney acting on behalf of Amanda Somers but including as plaintiffs all candidates improperly left off of ballots, filed a non-jury complaint in U.S. District Court on Friday morning that requested an emergency hearing a temporary restraining order from ballots being issued until the impasse is resolved. The lawsuit alleges that the S.C. Election Commission, among other things, had violated the Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and that that the state's …
ttruth
10:42 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Military voters as well as other citizens over seas can vote by mail, email, or fax. This is a federal voting act known as UOCAVA. Check it out on scvotes.org more ›