Bernie Sanders Supporters to File Emergency Injunction Against Calif. Primary, City Attorney Says
Attorneys representing a group of Bernie Sanders
supporters informed San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera Thursday
night that they plan to file an "emergency request" with U.S. District
Court Judge William Alsup in the city today "for a preliminary
injunction" in California's June 7 presidential primary," Herrera's
office said.
"I think it's unfortunate -- and selfish, frankly -- that these
plaintiffs would inject confusion and uncertainty into an election that
has been underway for weeks," Herrera said in a statement Thursday
night. "San Francisco's Department of Elections and its employees have
been doing an exemplary job, and I'm equally confident that our
co-defendants are also meeting or exceeding their legal duties. This
lawsuit is without merit, and there is no basis for an emergency
injunction. I intend to fight it aggressively."
Voting by mail began in California May 9.
A news release from the Office of the City Attorney, noted, "San
Francisco, Alameda County, and state elections officials were sued last
week by an unincorporated association of Sanders backers called the 'Voting Rights
Defense Project,' who together with the American Independence Party and
two San Francisco voters leveled an array of allegations in their May
20 civil complaint that Herrera calls wholly baseless."
The release continued, "The activists are seeking sweeping injunctive
relief in their suit, including provisions to force 58 counties to
segregate ballots already cast by unaffiliated voters; to allow
"re-votes" by those voters for presidential primary candidates; and to
extend the state's voter registration deadline -- which passed on May 23 for eligibility to vote in the June 7 primary -- until election day itself."
Bill Simpich, one of the San Francisco-based lawyers representing the
group, said, "The main relief we are asking for is for the independent
voters -- non-party preference or NPP -- to be able to vote for
president on June 7 without tying up the voting lines and avoiding a
situation of mass confusion.”
“We are asking the judge for an order that the poll workers be trained
to inform voters that NPP voters have a separate presidential ballot
rather than the voter having to ask for one, and that PSAs be sent out
to all voters about how to vote NPP given the incorrect mandatory
notices mailed out by government officials across the state, and to
ensure that there are enough ballots for everyone to vote,” he told ABC
News.
"We believe the City Attorney is confused about what the problems are:
50 percent of the NPP voters want to vote Democratic. As of May 24, only
14 percent of them have received their ballots. Half to 2/3 of the
whole state votes by mail. Hundreds of thousands of votes at stake. The
deadline to have the elections officials mail your ballot to you is May
31."
Sanders has not issued a statement on the matter.
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