(The Center Square) – Three Libertarian candidates vying for Iowa congressional seats can be left off the ballot because the party did not follow state law regarding county party conventions, according to an order from the Iowa Supreme Court.
The Libertarian Party of Iowa held its county conventions on Jan. 15, the same day as the Iowa precinct caucuses.
“Following those precinct caucuses, the Libertarian Party failed to provide to any county auditor the names of any delegates,” the order issued Wednesday by the court said. “At that time, i.e., January 15, delegates to the district conventions and state convention were purportedly selected. Later, on June 8, the party had a state convention where it filled its ballot vacancies for United States Congress by nominating petitioners Nicholas Gluba, Marco Battaglia, and Charles Aldrich as the candidates for Iowa’s first, third, and fourth congressional districts, respectively.”
The party nominated Gluba to challenge incumbent Republican Mariannette Miller-Miller Meeks and Democrat Christina Bohannon in the first congressional district race; Battaglia to a third congressional district contest that includes incumbent Republican Zach Nunn and Democrat Lanon Baccam and Charles Aldrich in the fourth congressional district race that includes Republican incumbent Randy Feenstra and Democrat Ryan Melton.
The State Objection Panel, which consists of Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General Breanna Bird and State Auditor Rob Sand, voted 2-1 on Aug. 28 to keep the Libertarian candidates off the ballot, citing Iowa laws about county party conventions. The Supreme Court said the decision was not unfair.
“Gluba, Battaglia, and Aldrich could have qualified for the November general election ballot by filing nomination petitions with signatures like the other political party candidates,” the court said in its opinion. “They relied instead on an alternative procedure afforded by Iowa law. Having done so, they had to be in compliance with that procedure. In sum, like the district court, we find that strict compliance was required and the Libertarian Party did not comply.”
The Libertarian Party of Iowa applied for major party status in 2022 after Rick Stewart, a candidate for lieutenant governor, received 2% of the vote and was approved by Pate.
Sand, the only “no” vote on the State Objection Panel, said in a statement, “Requiring ‘strict compliance’ with election laws written by a two-party system will no doubt smother opposition and prop up that same broken system.”
The Supreme Court issued the expedited review to meet an 11:59 p.m. deadline on Wednesday to finalize names for the November general election ballot.
