Trump will stay on Washington state's ballot in 2024
A Thurston County Superior Court judge ruled Thursday morning that former President Donald Trump will remain on the Washington state primary and general ballot in 2024.
"The court is denying the request of the petitioner electors to take any action that would direct the Secretary of State to remove former President Donald J. Trump's name from presidential primary ballots," Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson said in court.
Judge Wilson added that the same decision goes for placing Trump's name on the general election ballot in November.
RELATED: What inspired 8 WA voters to challenge Trump's presence on the primary ballot?
Last week, eight Kitsap County voters filed a challenge to placing Trump on the ballot. They cited state regulations and the recent decision in Colorado that bumped Trump off the ballot in that state. Judge Wilson said that Colorado's ruling only pertained to that state's law, and not election laws in Washington.
There were two state election regulations that were part of the complaint, but the judge concluded that they did not allow the judge to take action in this case, and direct the Secretary of State to correct election errors.
The Secretary of State’s office asked the court to make the ruling Thursday. This comes as the eight Kitsap County voters challenged Trump’s eligibility on the ballot shortly before the deadline to speak up. The judge had five court days to respond to their motion, and ruled shortly before the deadline. Wilson announced her decision, 15 minutes after hearing oral arguments from both sides.
Speaking with KUOW, Frankey Ithaka, who spearheaded the challenge for the eight voters, said that they brought the challenge based on Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021. They argue those actions add up to insurrection and should bar the former president from office.
