The trial over an effort in Minnesota to keep former President Donald Trump off of the 2024 ballot began Thursday at the state Supreme Court as a similar case continued in Colorado.
The lawsuits in both states allege Trump should be barred from the 2024 ballot for his conduct leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. They argue Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which says no one who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” after swearing an oath to support and defend the Constitution can hold office.
A group of Minnesota voters, represented by the election reform group Free Speech for People, sued in September to remove Trump from the state ballot under the 14th Amendment provision. The petitioners include former Minnesota Secretary of State Joan Growe and former state Supreme Court Justice Paul H. Anderson.
In general this would depend on the state… In Minnesota the canvass following the general ballot to determine electors. Electors are then obligated to only vote for candidates that meet eligibility. So there would need to be a certain threshold of write ins met before he could actually make it to the electors ballots. Because those electors are casting votes for their districts they would not be authorized to write in a candidate of their choice as they would basically be going completely against their electoral districts clearly defined intentions.
So it’s possible he could even win a fair share of the popular vote but be unable to be even selected as a candidate by the electors.
Super unlikely, but it would depend on how the state’s Supreme Court would decide to uphold its write in registration process following the decision… And also it would probably be petitioned to higher courts who would likely overturn it since it’s extremely dangerous precedent.