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On March 20, 2026, led by lead counsel Mark Brown, CCD filed suit on behalf of Samuel Ronan, a candidate for U.S. House seeking to run in Ohio’s May 5, 2026 Republican primary, to challenge the decision of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and the Franklin County Board of Elections removing Ronan from the ballot. That same day, Chief Judge Sara D. Morrison of the federal District Court for the Southern District of Ohio entered an order directing the Defendants to place Ronan back on the ballo

On January 23, 2026, District Judge Terrence W. Boyle entered a final judgment in Ortiz v. North Carolina State Board of Elections, No. 5:24-cv-00420 (E.D.N.C.), holding unconstitutional the Board’s failure to certify the Justice for All Party (“JFA”) as a new political party in the 2024 presidential election.CCD’s client Dr. Cornel West formed JFA in support of his 2024 presidential campaign. The Board declined to certify JFA as a political party, despite its full compliance with North Carolina

Dear Thom, Two decades ago, during the 2004 presidential election, you accused Ralph Nader of attempting to “deceive” voters about “the role of third parties” in our electoral system. By running as an independent in a first past the post, winner take all system, you claimed, Nader was making the process “less democratic” because his candidacy would split the progressive vote and help Republican George Bush win even if a majority preferred Democrat John Kerry. You argued that progressives should

If you’re reading this email you may already know how often qualified candidates and parties get thrown off the ballot based on bogus technicalities. Like the time Democrats tried to force Cornel West off Wisconsin’s 2024 ballot because a two-page document he filed wasn’t stapled. Or when they claimed RFK, Jr. shouldn’t be allowed to start a political party in North Carolina because he identified as an independent.Or the Democrats’ favorite: that the Green Party should be disqualified in North C

It all came down to a staple.A single staple. According to the Democrats who challenged Independent presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West’s right to be on Wisconsin’s 2024 general election ballot, he had complied with Wisconsin law in every way — except for one small thing. As an Independent candidate, Dr. West was required to submit an affidavit of candidacy.Which he did.And it was required to be notarized.Which it was.But there was some technical deficiency in the notarization — the notary

State and Federal Court Rulings Guarantee Ballot Spot for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Cornel West, and other Candidates on North Carolina’s 2024 General Election BallotWashington, DC (August 13, 2024): In two separate proceedings on Monday, a state court and a federal court ruled that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Dr. Cornel West, and other candidates nominated by their respective parties, must be placed on North Carolina’s 2024 general election ballot. CCD and More Voter Choice Fund (“MVCF”) repre

Media Inquiries:Oliver Hall202-248-9294oliverhall@competitivedemocracy.orgMay 21 2024 (Washington, D.C.): In a certified letter sent to CNN and the presidential campaigns of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the Center for Competitive Democracy (“CCD”) advised that the presidential debate CNN plans to host on June 27, 2024, with Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump’s participation, is likely to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act (“FECA”) and related regulations, and if so, it coul

Court concludes Democrats pursued “frivolous” actions in effort to block Greens from North Carolina’s 2022 general election ballotRALEIGH, NC: United States District Judge James C. Dever, III today ordered the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (“DSCC”) and the North Carolina Democratic Party (“NCDP”) to pay attorney’s fees to the North Carolina Green Party (“NCGP”) arising from the Democrats’ efforts to force the Greens off North Carolina’s 2022 general election ballot.Judge Dever conclud

CCD counsel Oliver Hall has published “The Democrats’ Anti-Democratic Attack Dogs” in the latest issue of Capitol Hill Citizen, available here.The article details the Democratic Party’s history of suppressing voter choice by interfering with independent candidates’ and minor parties’ nomination petitions, then challenging them in court based on legal technicalities and trumped up allegations of “fraud”.Most recently, the Democrats have announced their intention to block No Labels’ effort to plac

For the last several years, CCD has been in federal court challenging the ballot access requirements in two of the most restrictive states in the nation — Indiana and Texas.During that litigation, we presented uncontested evidence demonstrating that it now costs $500,000 or more for a statewide Independent or Minor Party to qualify for the ballot in Indiana, and in Texas it costs $1,000,000 or more. Why does it cost so much? Partly it’s due to the huge number of signatures each state requires