Donald Trump has been removed from the ballot in Maine, a decision that could still be overturned by the state's Supreme Court.
This move follows a similar decision in Colorado, where Trump was barred from running for presidential candidacy due to his role in the lead-up to the attack on Congress on January 6, 2021. Now, Maine has joined in on this decision.
Trump, a central figure in a true electoral drama, has been excluded from appearing on the ballot for Maine's Republican voters to choose their presidential candidate in March, as reported by Reuters. This decision was made by the state's top election official, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
Bellows concluded that Trump, in his final time as U.S. President, contributed to inciting the storming of Congress in 2021, where several people lost their lives. However, this decision is not final. Bellows, a member of the Democratic Party, has temporarily suspended it until the state's legal system can examine the allegations.
Maine's constitution is structured in a way that initially requires the state's Secretary of State to assess whether a person is fit to run as a presidential candidate in the state. Bellows has judged that Donald Trump is not.
Trump, amidst his election campaign, faces several criminal cases, including for his role in the storming. The accusation is that he attempted to overturn a free and fair election to his advantage with his false claims of election fraud and calls to "fight like hell."
Trump's campaign staff announced shortly after that they intend to quickly take legal action to overturn Shenna Bellows' decision. Therefore, the decision will go to court at one of Maine's courts before it can reach the state's own Supreme Court.
If the case ultimately ends up in the U.S. Supreme Court, it won't be the only case regarding Trump's election validity that the court will look at. Last week, Colorado's state Supreme Court ruled in favor of six voters that Trump, due to his role in the storming, cannot run in the state's primary election. The Republicans, Trump's party, have appealed the decision to the federal Supreme Court, which Trump is also expected to do.
A decision from the federal Supreme Court on Trump's eligibility for the American primary election will be definitive and set the line in all the states, according to The New York Times.
