{"id":1723,"date":"2026-05-13T07:31:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T07:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/judge-rejects-green-party-candidates-bid-to-get-on-governor-ballot-2\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T07:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T07:31:30","slug":"judge-rejects-green-party-candidates-bid-to-get-on-governor-ballot-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/judge-rejects-green-party-candidates-bid-to-get-on-governor-ballot-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge rejects Green Party candidate\u2019s bid to get on governor ballot"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Green Party gubernatorial hopeful Butch Ware will have to run a write-in campaign after a federal judge Monday blocked his attempt to add his name to ballots, saying it was too late to intervene in an election where voting is already underway.<\/p>\n

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Ware was left off of the official ballot listing candidates for governor after Secretary of State Shirley Weber\u2019s office said he\u2019d failed to properly file tax returns, as required by a 2019 state law. Ware challenged that decision in Sacramento Superior Court, arguing that the law itself was unconstitutional and that he\u2019d been denied an opportunity to properly fix errors in the returns.<\/p>\n

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After a Sacramento judge ruled against Ware in March, he appealed the case in federal court, arguing the law was unconstitutional and requesting the court force Weber\u2019s office to add Ware\u2019s name to the ballot.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCalifornia cannot condition a candidate\u2019s access to the gubernatorial primary ballot on the submission of personal tax returns,\u201d Ware\u2019s attorneys wrote in their motion. \u201cThis requirement violates the First and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

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But in his order Monday, Judge William Shubb of the Eastern District of California said the motion came too late. Citing higher court precedent, Shubb said it was clear the election was already underway and interfering in it now would cause hardship to voters who\u2019d already cast ballots.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAlternatively, ordering respondent to include petitioner\u2019s name only on ballots issued after a certain date would amount to creating two, different sets of ballots, all but ensuring a \u2018chaotic and disruptive effect upon the electoral process,\u2019\u201d Shubb said, quoting a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court verdict.<\/p>\n

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