by Kody Fairfield

As previously reported on The Libertarian Republic, which you can read here, the Donald Trump Campaign and the Minnesota GOP may have violated state statutes and their own party constitution in a last-ditch effort to place Donald Trump and Mike Pence on the ballot as their presidential and vice presidential nominees.

The latest update on the story was that major players inside the GOP of Minnesota were very concerned about a potential challenge to the ballot access, due to the fact that alternate electors were not actually elected, rather they were appointed in a closed door meeting.

It now appears that according to Michael Brodkorp, who was the source for the original article, the Democrat Farmer Labor Party of Minnesota is filing a petition officially challenging the placement of Trump and Pence on the ballot. The petition, filed through the Minnesota Supreme Court, is the first step in testing the 11th hour tactics that were used to place the GOP candidates on the ballot.

BREAKING: @MinnesotaDFL files petiton with MN Supreme Court to have Donald Trump removed from ballot in Minnesota -> https://t.co/DYasQ5h1t0 — Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) September 9, 2016

Petition Filed to Remove Donald Trump from ballot in Minnesota by Michael Brodkorb on Scribd

Here is the official press release from the Minnesota DFL, explaining the decision:

Apparently the Chairman for the Minnesota GOP, Keith Downey, has yet to see the lawsuit, but it has been forwarded to him.

MN GOP Chairman Keith Downey told 5 Eyewitness News tonight he hadn’t seen the lawsuit yet. We’ve sent him a copy and are awaiting comment. — Tom Hauser (@thauserkstp) September 9, 2016

This could be huge news if the lawsuit goes through and the candidates are removed. Even though Trump is not expected to carry Minnesota, the reaction from across the nation that the GOP candidate missed the ballot in a state could spell disaster for the campaign. Beyond that, it could spell even bigger disaster for the GOP of Minnesota, as in order to maintain their major party status, they must collect 5% of the popular vote in Minnesota. If there is no candidate running for president, it would appear that they could not meet this requirement.

This is not to say that Trump and Pence could not run as write-in candidates, but more likely than not, those votes would not count toward the GOP percentage.

While it remains to be seen just how this lawsuit will play out, it is a sign of how chaotic the Trump campaign has been. All that can be said is that everyone should keep an eye on Minnesota, as if there is not a GOP choice on the ballot, that could alter the 2016 presidential campaign in ways people never expected.

Update 9/9/2016:

Libertarian National Party Chairman Nicholas Sarwark agrees Trump ballot access broke Minnesota state statute.