RICHMOND, Va. - The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) announced Thursday it has filed a lawsuit against the Virginia State Board of Elections (SBE) and the Virginia Department of Elections seeking to disqualify Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe from appearing on any ballot for the upcoming general election in November.
The party's complaint argues that McAuliffe filed a Declaration of Candidacy with the SBE without his required signature, which would be in violation of Virginia Code § 24.2-520. However, the GOP says the declaration does include signatures from two people claiming that they witnessed McAuliffe sign the declaration despite his signature appearing nowhere on the face of the document. As a result, the party says McAuliffe’s declaration should have been rejected by the SBE and the DOE.
“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and Terry McAuliffe’s clear violation of the law severely jeopardizes the integrity of our elections in Virginia,” said Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Rich Anderson. “For decades, Terry has used his political connections and proximity to power to avoid consequences for his reckless behavior and disregard for people and laws, but no amount of political favors and back-slapping can refute the fact that McAuliffe is a fraudulent candidate and cannot be Virginia’s next governor.”
The party's complaint and accompanying motion for a preliminary injunction detail the extent to which they say McAuliffe’s actions violated both the Virginia Constitution and Virginia Code.
Republicans say the former governor's inclusion on the general election ballot "despite his Declaration being submitted with apparent false statements and not meeting the minimum standards for ballot qualification under Virginia law will burden the right to vote by diverting votes to an unqualified candidate, in direct violation of multiple provisions of the Virginia Constitution and Virginia law."
They argue that the SBE improperly certified a winner of the party primary who was never entitled to appear on the primary ballot, and conclude that McAuliffe is not qualified to be on the general election ballot.
Click here to read the full complaint.
Click here for our full guide on the 2021 Virginia elections.
