Opinion ID: 2682366
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Recent Elections

Text: 9 In In re Nader, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined that the language of § 2937 “discusses both nomination petitions and petitions to set aside a nomination petition. Thus, the court can impose costs, as justice requires, when either the nominating petition is set aside or the petition to set aside the nomination petition is dismissed.” In re Nader, 905 A.2d at 458 (quoting In re Lee, 578 A. 2d 1277, 1279 n.3 (1990)). 11 In the 2002, 2004, and 2006 elections, the C.G.L. Parties were each “qualified minor parties … because each party had a candidate on the preceding general election ballot who polled the requisite number of votes.” (Appellants’ Opening Br. at 9.) In 2004, however, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader and his running mate were ordered to pay $81,102.19 in costs under § 2937, following a court determination that their Pennsylvania “signature-gathering campaign involved fraud and deception of massive proportions.” In re Nader, 905 A.2d 450, 460 (Pa. 2006). That ruling appears to mark the first time costs were ever imposed pursuant to § 2937, and the reverberations from that decision have been significant. According to the Aspiring Parties, the Nader decision worked a transformation in how § 2937 is understood and applied. The threat of extraordinary costs like those involved in Nader “caused several minor party candidates either to withhold or withdraw their nomination petitions” during the 2006 election cycle. (J.A. at 39.) For example, in a declaration filed in this case, Appellant Krawchuk stated that, although the Libertarian Party nominated him as its candidate for United States Senate in 2006, he declined to run “due to the fact that … Ralph Nader and his running mate … had recently been ordered to pay $81,102.19.” (Id. at 90-91.) Similarly, Christina Valente, the Green Party’s nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2006, stated in her declaration that, “after a challenge was filed against me …[,] I withdrew from the race. My decision to withdraw was based entirely on the fact that I was unwilling to assume the risk of incurring litigation costs pursuant to 25 P.S. § 2937.” (Id. at 78.) 12 Thus in 2006, “only one minor party candidate [ran] for statewide office,” Appellant Romanelli, the Green Party’s nominee for United States Senate. (J.A. at 39) Based on the votes cast in the 2004 general election, Romanelli had to obtain 67,070 valid signatures to get on the ballot in 2006. He submitted 93,829 signatures but was removed from the ballot following a successful objection filed pursuant to § 2937 by private parties affiliated with the Democratic Party. Romanelli was ordered to pay costs totaling $80,407.56. In re Rogers, 942 A.2d 915, 930 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2008). The Commonwealth Court found that costs were warranted due to the failure of Romanelli’s campaign and the Green Party to comply with certain court orders, including an order to provide nine people to assist in the review of the nominating signatures10 and an order to timely provide the court with the 10 The review of the Romanelli signatures was facilitated by the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (“SURE”) computer system. The Commonwealth Court ordered that [e]ach party shall have present at that time at least nine individuals, in addition to counsel, who are capable of performing computer searches. These individuals will be given a short training session by Department personnel on how to perform SURE system searches. With the assistance of court personnel, the designated individuals of each party shall commence a review of the challenged signatures and shall tabulate, with the assistance of counsel, the numbers of challenged signatures found to be valid and those found to be invalid. 13 “specifics of what stipulated invalid signatures [Romanelli] believed could be rehabilitated.” Id. at 929. Therefore, because of candidates withdrawing their nomination papers and the successful challenge to Romanelli’s nomination papers, the C.G.L Parties fielded no candidates for statewide office in the 2006 election. That meant that, under 25 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 2831(a), none of the C.G.L. Parties qualified as minor parties leading up to the 2008 election. They became, instead, political bodies. In the 2008 election, while the Libertarian Party was able to collect the requisite number of signatures – and those signatures went unchallenged – and to place candidates on the general election ballot, the Constitution and Green Parties were again unable to get any candidates on the ballot. The chairman of the Constitution Party stated in his declaration that, following the 2006 election, his party could not recruit any candidates “willing to submit nomination petitions and thereby risk incurring litigation costs pursuant to 25 P.S. § 2937.” (J.A. at 53.) Supporters of that party were also unwilling to donate time and resources to electioneering. Likewise, the chairwoman of the Green Party in 2008 and 2010 stated that her party was unable to regain minor-party status because of the effect that § 2937 challenges and costs had on member morale. She declared that, as Statewide Petition Coordinator for 2012, she “continue[d] to encounter serious difficulty in recruiting petitioners,” many of whom In re Rogers, 942 A.2d 915, 920 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2008). 14 refused to participate in nomination drives because they believe that § 2937 “renders petitioning futile.” (Id. at 63.) In 2010, the C.G.L. Parties again resumed the nomination signature gathering process. The Democratic and Republican parties or their “allies” were allegedly behind objections to the nomination papers of the Green and Libertarian Parties. (Id. at 41.) The Aspiring Parties point to a challenge to the Libertarian Party’s nomination papers as an example of the kinds of threats of financial ruin used by the major parties to shut down competing political activity. The former chair of the Libertarian Party asserts that his party had submitted “more than the 19,056 valid signatures required” under § 2911(b) for its candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and United States Senator but that the party “withdrew the petitions after three Republican voters, aided by the Pennsylvania Republican Party, challenged them.” (Id. at 83 (declaration of then-party chair Michael Robertson).) An email from the challengers’ attorney, quoted in the Aspiring Parties’ Complaint, was hardly subtle: Following up on our conversation earlier this morning, I do not have exact figures on what our costs would be if this signature count continues and my clients are required to complete the review and/or move forward with a hearing. However, a rough estimate would be $92,255 to $106,455 … . These costs are comparable to the costs awarded in recent years by the Commonwealth Court in similar nomination paper challenges … . Please let me know if you need any further information in order to discuss with your clients a withdrawal 15 of their candidacy… . As I stated, the sooner that your clients agree to withdraw the more likely my clients will agree to not pursue recovery of all their costs incurred in pursuing this matter. (Id. at 87.) The Libertarian Party candidates responded by withdrawing their nomination papers because “they were unable to assume the risk of incurring the costs,” and the party “lacked the financial resources to indemnify them.” (Id. at 84.) Accordingly, no Libertarian Party candidate appeared on the 2010 ballot. The Green Party’s 2010 United States Senate candidate, Melvin Packer, likewise withdrew his nomination papers following a challenge from Democratic senate candidate Joe Sestak because, Packer said, he “could not afford to have costs assessed against [him] pursuant to Section 2937.” (Id. at 73.) The Constitution Party’s nominee for Governor, John Krupa, “refused to submit [his] Nominating Papers” and “thereby risk incurring litigation costs pursuant to … § 2937.” (Id. at 56.) As in 2006, “no candidate for statewide office, except the Republican and Democrat, appeared on Pennsylvania’s 2010 general election ballot.”11 (Id. at 43.) 11 The events of the 2012 election cycle are intertwined with the procedural history of this case and are accordingly addressed in the portion of the opinion dealing with that history. See infra Part I.D. 16