Maine Kicks Trump Off the Ballot

Donald Trump was kicked off another state’s ballot after Maine’s top election official determined the former president is a Constitutionally-ineligible insurrectionist. 

In the weeks following the controversial decision by Colorado’s supreme court to remove Trump on similar grounds, many questioned what other states would follow suit: Maine was the first to answer the call. 

Unlike Colorado, the decision in Maine came not from the court but from the Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, who determined that Trump violated the Constitution with his involvement in the events on January 6th, 2021.

Bellows, a Democrat, made her decision after initially determining that Trump met the qualification criteria to be on Maine’s ballot. When Trump’s qualification was challenged by Maine residents, it triggered a compulsory administrative hearing over which Bellows presided.

Though Trump’s attorneys were present and offered evidence at the hearing, Bellows was ultimately persuaded that the former president violated section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies those who have previously taken a Constitutional oath and engaged in insurrection. 

Though Bellows’ decision was met with considerable backlash from Trump-supporting Republicans, she explained that Maine’s state constitution obligates her office to evaluate the qualifications of political candidates, citing her recent decision to keep Chris Christie off the primary ballot because he didn’t meet the signature requirements—which was upheld by Maine’s courts. 

Bellows has also reported that, in the aftermath of her decision, she and her office have received threats. 

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