Connecticut Republicans Win Top Ballot Billing in Court

Mitt Romney, Linda McMahon and other Republicans will get top billing on the ballots in Connecticut after the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of Republicans, according to the Associated Press.

Republicans sued for the placement because although Gov. Dannel P. Malloy beat Republican Tom Foley in 2010, the governor’s votes were split between the Working Families Party and Democrats. State law says that the party with the most votes gets top billing in the next election, and the Republicans had 20,000 more votes than Democrats due to the two-party split.    

Secretary of State Denise Merrill, a Democrat, fought against the Republican request for top billing. According to the Associated Press, she said she “‘interpreted the statute in good faith and with due diligence.”

But in a statement issued to the press, Merrill said she was pleased the decision came in time for absentee ballots and Election Day ballots to be formatted and printed accurately.

"With the timing of this decision, we now feel confident that absentee ballots should be available for distribution by town clerks by the October 5th statutory deadline," Merrill said. "We can now get on with the important business of administering an election that is vitally important to our nation and state."

Jerry Labriola Jr., the chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party, said in a press release that he was pleased with the news.

"In the party's view, the language of the statute clearly states that Republicans should receive the top line based on the results of the 2010 gubernatorial election," Labriola said. "I regret that it was necessary to file a legal action in response to the Secretary of State's incorrect interpretation of election law, but I am pleased that our Republican candidates will have their rightful place on the top ballot line for the November 6, 2012 election.”