A big mistake by the D.C. Democratic Party resulted in presidential contender Bernie Sanders being left off the ballot for the city’s June Democratic primary.
Despite both Sanders and fellow presidential candidate Hillary Clinton submitting their $2,500 registration fee to participate in the primary before the deadline, the Democratic party in the District submitted the paperwork for Sanders’ a day late to the D.C. Board of Elections, reports NBC Washington.
The D.C. Democratic Party submitted the registration forms on March 17, according to NBC4, despite the March 16 registration deadline for the June 14 primary. D.C. Democratic Party Chairwoman Anita Bonds’ claims the tardy filing was approved, The Washington Times reports.
“Bernie will be on the ballot,” Bonds told CNN. “This has been kind of a tradition in the District of Columbia, that the party would notify the board the following day.”
As a result an activist from the Alexandria Democratic Committee challenged Sanders’ eligibility to be on the ballot for the presidential primary. The challenge is forcing the Board of Elections to take up the issue. If the Board of Elections refuses to certify Sanders’ as an eligible candidate, Bonds says the D.C. Council can pass emergency legislation confirming Sanders’ on the ballot, reports The Washington Post.
Bonds says this is a simple case of administrative confusion. The Sanders’ campaign remains unfazed by the local party’s mistake.
A Sanders spokesman told NBC Washington, “We did what D.C. law requires in order to get Bernie on the ballot, and we are confident he will be on the ballot.”
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