By Richard Winger
Reprinted from Ballot Access News

On October 13, Eugene Platt declared his candidacy for the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2010 from the 115th district. He is the Green Party’s only elected official in that state; he currently serves on the James Island Public Service District Commission, having been re-elected to that position last year. Here is his web page, although it appears not to have his recent declaration posted yet.

Platt had tried to run for the legislature in 2008. After the Green Party had nominated him at its convention in April 2008, he had also run in the Democratic primary. Because he lost the Democratic primary, his nomination by the Green Party was voided by the State Election Commission. He and the Green Party are currently in the 4th circuit, arguing that the state law that permits such retroactive disqualification is unconstitutional. South Carolina does permit two parties to jointly nominate the same candidate, and is the only fusion state that says one nomination can be jeopardized if the candidate tries and fails to win a second party’s nomination.