2nd Circuit upholds NY state rules restricting ballot access
New York state is within its rights to keep its election ballots decluttered and prevent voter confusion with rules limiting how a political party gets on ballots, an appeals court said Wednesday.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a challenge to the state’s new election ballot rules by the SAM Party of New York. It said the party, whose full name is Serve America Movement, was unlikely to succeed with claims that ballot rules violate the First and 14th amendments.
SAM became a political party in 2018 when it ran a gubernatorial ticket that drew over 55,000 votes. Since then, it says it has nominated dozens of successful candidates for offices ranging from village trustee to the House of Representatives, including 19 in the most recent election cycle.