Protests at state capitols call for election conspiracists to be banned from ballots

Protesters descended on several state capitals, calling for state-level government officials to act and ban those who worked to overturn the 2020 election from running again.

The multi-state effort is part of a campaign by the Bernie Sanders-aligned Our Revolution to put political pressure on supporters of former President Donald Trump who shared his false assertions about the 20202 election, and could result in a massive legal battle should election officials in any state attempt to bar one of Mr Trump’s supporters from the ballot.

On Tuesday, protesters began setting up for demonstrations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio; among the targets of the actions were two pro-Trump congressman, Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz, who are among those the group says should be barred from office under a section of the 14th Amendment. Section three of the amendment states that a person is barred from any state, federal or judicial office after having “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof”.

That standard was put in place shortly after the Civil War, and barred many former Confederates from running for office. It would be a much harder legal argument to make in modern times, as none who have been targeted by the effort so far have been formally accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

In the weeks ahead, a person familiar with the campaign told The Independent that Our Revolution plans to expand the effort to Colorado, Arizona, Georgia and Texas. The effort is likely also to include an eventual push to prevent Mr Trump himself from running for the White House in 2024 if, as expected by many, he enters the race shortly following the midterms.

Republicans have loudly complained that Democrats remain focused on January 6 in an effort to embarrass their party while Democrats and the two Republicans remaining on the January 6 select committee assert that the bloody assault at the Capitol deserves a fair investigation despite the GOP’s very public attempts to prevent one from occurring.

Scott Perry, another congressman targeted in Tuesday’s protest in Pennsylvania, said last month that he would not comply with the committee’s requests for testimony and information as it probes the efforts (including his) to install a Trump loyalist as acting attorney general after then-Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen refused to help spread Mr Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud.

Mr Gaetz meanwhile faces an ongoing sex trafficking investigation that last month led to his ex-girlfriend testifying in front of a federal grand jury. He has strenuously denied the allegations.