Internet divided as Hawaii Democrat Karl Rhoads introduces bill to ban Donald Trump from primary ballot

HONOLULU, HAWAII: The Hawaii Legislature is currently reviewing a bill, sponsored by a Democrat, which aims to prevent former president Donald Trump from featuring on its 2024 primary election ballot.

The bill, introduced by Hawaii state senator Karl Rhoads on Monday, January 22, has caused controversy due to its proposal to ban candidates who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion, as described in the third section of the 14th Amendment.

Senator Rhoads has been a vocal critic of both Donald Trump and the Republican Party for their involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

What does Senator Rhoads’ proposed bill entail?

The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol released its final report in December 2023.

The report found that the former president engaged in a "multi-part conspiracy" to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol.

This concluded an 18-month investigation into Donald Trump and the violent insurrection that occurred on that day.

The now-proposed law in Hawaii would prohibit members of the state's electoral college from casting their votes for a candidate who is considered disqualified under the 14th Amendment, according to a report from USA Today.

Although the proposed law doesn't explicitly mention the former president, it is widely seen as a response to the events of January 6, 2021.

According to Fox News, Senator Rhoads’ proposal aims to "prohibit electors of presidential and vice presidential candidates from voting for any presidential or vice presidential nominee who has been disqualified pursuant to Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, as determined by any federal court, or as determined by the state supreme court in an election contest," and it also "seeks to stop those disqualified by a court based on the constitutional amendment from appearing on party ballots for presidential and vice-presidential nominees."

The bill states, "The legislature finds that citizens of this State have the right to expect that public servants be people of integrity and not people who have committed actions that threaten democracy or undermine the vote of the people.”

The bill, which passed its first reading on Monday itself, further reads, "Any challenge to the inclusion or exclusion of any candidate on a ballot issued by the chief election officer or clerk shall be in writing and, no later than the fifty-seventh day prior to the general election, shall be filed with the appropriate district court; provided that for any challenge to the inclusion or exclusion of a presidential candidate on a general election ballot, the appropriate district court shall be the district court of the first circuit. The challenge shall provide notice in a summary manner of the grounds that give rise to the complaint. No later than the fifty-fourth day prior to the general election, the district court shall hold a hearing regarding the challenge. The district court shall assess the validity of the complaint and shall issue findings of fact and conclusions of law no later than the fifty-third day prior to the general election. The party filing the challenge shall have the burden to sustain the challenge by a preponderance of the evidence, unless a higher burden is required by constitutional law." 

The Trump campaign has repeatedly characterized efforts to prevent his inclusion on the ballot as attempts to disenfranchise American voters.

Notably, the 77-year-old GOP presidential frontrunner is facing challenges related to the ballot in over 30 states, including Maine and Colorado, where he has been removed from the primary ticket.

Trump has appealed to the US Supreme Court and his name will remain on the ballot until a verdict is reached by the highest court in the country, only a week from now.

Oral arguments for the Colorado appeal are set to begin on February 8th, which will decide his eligibility for the ballot on a national level.

However, lawsuits filed in Minnesota, Michigan, Arizona, and Oregon seeking to prevent Trump's inclusion on the 2024 ballot have been dismissed on procedural grounds, per Newsweek.

Internet divided as Hawaii Senator introduces bill to prevent Trump from Appearing on ballot

People on X expressed their concerns and reacted to the news of a Democratic senator from Hawaii proposing to ban candidates who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion, as described in the third section of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.

One X user remarked, "What a bunch of cowards."

Another user said, "It should be a crime and the penalty should be exile."

Another user wrote, "Trump will sue his way in so the Hawaii Democrat is wasting his time."

One user claimed, "The blue states that always go against ALL Republicans, their banning Trump is just a ploy to scare Americans to split tge Republican vote. A sure win for Democrats then. Unite and stand as one united in Republican vote for one canadidate; Trump."

Another X user remarked, "The supreme court needs to put an end to this nonsense."

One user tweeted, "Guess they can’t learn from the previous failures of trying to ban him lol."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.