Claudia De la Cruz and Cornel West vow to appeal Georgia election disqualification

Atlanta, Georgia - Claudia De la Cruz and Dr. Cornel West have vowed to fight back after two judges on Wednesday ruled them unqualified to run for president in Georgia.

Presidential candidates Claudia De la Cruz of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (l.) and Independent Dr. Cornel West
Presidential candidates Claudia De la Cruz of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (l.) and Independent Dr. Cornel West  © Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Votes for the Party for Socialism and Liberation's De la Cruz and Independent West are not set to count in Georgia after Fulton County Superior Court Judges Thomas A. Cox Jr. and Emily Richardson deemed they had not filed proper election paperwork, the Associated Press reported.

The judges determined ballot access petitions needed to be filed in the name of 16 presidential electors, not the candidates themselves.

De la Cruz and West – both of whom submitted more than the required 7,500 signatures to gain ballot access – have said they are prepared to take the case to the Georgia Supreme Court.

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"Across the country, the Democratic Party is using the courts to wage an assault on democracy. They are backed by their billionaire friends, and super PACs like Clear Choice which have raised huge sums of money for the explicit goal of removing third party candidates," De la Cruz said in a press release.

"We will appeal this ruling. People in Georgia should have the right to vote for the candidate of their choice," she added.

West's team also confirmed to the Associated Press that his campaign is taking action. "We are confident that we will win the appeal," campaign spokesperson Edwin DeJesus told the outlet.

Georgia Democrats challenge third-party and independent candidates' ballot access

Party for Socialism and Liberation vice-presidential candidate Karina Garcia has accused the Democratic Party of trying to silence third-party candidates.
Party for Socialism and Liberation vice-presidential candidate Karina Garcia has accused the Democratic Party of trying to silence third-party candidates.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Wednesday's decision came after Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger determined the candidates had qualified to be on the ballot despite Democratic Party-linked challenges.

Raffensperger weighed in after administrative law judge Michael Malihi ruled against De la Cruz and West.

The Georgia Democratic Party didn't let up, making moves to appeal the secretary of state's order.

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Georgia Democrats had also filed a lawsuit once again seeking to undo Green Party nominee Dr. Jill Stein's inclusion on the ballot, but Cox dismissed the challenge.

De la Cruz's running mate, Karina Garcia, slammed the Democrats for trying to strip third-party ballot access: "Unable to defend their pro-corporate and pro-war record, the Democratic Party's desperate plan is to twist the law to remove any alternatives from the ballot to cement the system of two-party rule. Working people are in crises, and neither party has any real answers."

"We will keep up this fight so that the people of Georgia can have a socialist alternative in November."

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

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