Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Moore v. Brunner
Moore v. Brunner is a federal lawsuit filed by Socialist Party presidential candidate Brian Moore against Jennifer Brunner in her official role as Ohio Secretary of State. Moore's lawsuit is a challenge to the laws governing petition circulators in Ohio; specifically, the rule that in order to legally ask people to sign petitions, a circulator must be a registered voter in the state.
On June 2, 2008, a judge in a U.S. District Court in Columbus agreed with Moore, and granted his petition for an injunction against the law.
Ralph Nader's 2004 lawsuit, Nader v. Blackwell, against the same law (but naming then-Secretary of State Ken Blackwell) was dismissed because the judges believed that Nader had already used out-of-state circulators, defying the law.
According to Richard Winger, "Ohio law, taken as a whole, is irrational. It is legal for out-of-staters to circulate a new party petition in Ohio, so there can’t possibly be any defense for imposing residency rules for circulators for independent candidates. Furthermore, Ohio even forces the independent candidate circulators not only to be residents, but to be registered voters in Ohio."
