Michigan denies Buchanan charges

By Jon Dougherty


Reform Party presidential nominee Patrick J. Buchanan
has charged Michigan officials with denying residents “the right to vote,” but the state says the former Republican has failed to comply with all requirements to be listed on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Last month on a campaign swing through the state, Buchanan accused Michigan Secretary of State Candice Miller of intentionally leaving his name off the presidential ballot in favor of former Reform candidate and current Natural Law Party nominee John Hagelin.

“I tell you what: It is a strange coincidence that Ms. Miller … decided that she cannot figure out who the Reform Party candidate is to put on the ballot,” Buchanan said during a speech in Warren, Mich. Sept. 19. “It is no strange coincidence that she is also the co-chair of George Bush campaign.”

“Michigan may be the only state in the Union where the people are not given the right to vote. They are being robbed of their right to vote by party officials,” he said.

However, a spokesman with the secretary of state’s office told WorldNetDaily yesterday that Buchanan’s campaign is not listed on the ballot yet because it has failed to comply with all of the state’s ballot requirements.

In response to Hagelin’s name still being listed on the state ballots, Buchanan began advising supporters to “scratch out” GOP nominee George W. Bush’s name and write in his instead. However, Michigan officials said those votes also would not count until the Buchanan campaign met all three write-in balloting requirements.

So far, the campaign has met two of the requirements, but needs to file a third document — called a “declaration of intent” — before 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, or the secretary of state cannot count Buchanan write-in ballots.

“They haven’t filed those papers yet,” said the spokesman, who did not identify herself.

“There is something wrong with this. It is not only unjust and unfair, it’s dreadful for the people of Michigan,” Buchanan said. “If John Hagelin understands he’s not the candidate, why can’t Candice Miller understand he’s not the candidate?”

The Buchanan campaign said it is being sabotaged by a state official that is a staunch Bush supporter.

“We didn’t come [to Michigan] to do battle with Candice Miller. We wanted to do battle with Mr. Bush. We wanted to do battle with Mr. Gore,” he said last month.

Buchanan is on the ballot of the other 49 states, campaign officials said.

Jon Dougherty

Jon E. Dougherty is a Missouri-based political science major, author, writer and columnist. Follow him on Twitter. Read more of Jon Dougherty's articles here.