Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) reminded states that are trying to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot that Congress has the final say over whether electors from those states are certified in 2025.
The Kentucky Republican said the likelihood that the House would toss out the electoral votes in 2025 depended on the party in power. The House is controlled by Republicans, albeit by a small majority. The reminder comes after two states ruled recently that Trump could not appear on their ballots because they believe he violated the 14th Amendment.
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“Maine, Colorado, and other states that might try to bureaucratically deny ballot access to any Republican nominee should remember the U.S. House of Representatives is the ultimate arbiter of whether to certify electors from those states,” Massie posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
Maine, Colorado, and other states that might try to bureaucratically deny ballot access to any Republican nominee should remember the U.S. House of Representatives is the ultimate arbiter of whether to certify electors from those states.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 29, 2023
The Kentucky congressman said that part of the reason Congress voted to certify the results of the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021, was because Republicans were in a minority in both chambers. Massie was among those who voted to certify the results.
“That effort [in 2021] was doomed because Democrats controlled the House and Senate at that time,” Massie said in a separate post. “Republicans hold a slim majority in the House now. Whether we keep the majority remains to be seen.”
Trump has been deemed ineligible to appear on the ballots in Maine and Colorado. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that he violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment by inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6, although he has not been convicted of doing so.
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Shenna Bellows, Maine’s Democratic secretary of state, removed Trump from the state’s 2024 primary ballot on Thursday. However, the effect of her decision will be suspended until the Superior Court rules on any appeals to the order or until the appeal window has expired. Trump’s campaign is expected to file a legal challenge to the decision to prevent it from taking effect.
Other states, including California and Arizona, have opted not to take Trump off their primary ballots. The former president is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.
