Republican turned Independent candidate loses appeal to appear on November ballot

Justin McNeal sought circuit court intervention to run for Congress

(Justin McNeal)

PIERRE — A bid by a Rapid City man to appear on the general election ballot for South Dakota’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives came up short again Friday.

Sixth Circuit Judge Margo Northrup denied Justin McNeal’s request to have the court order the Secretary of State’s Office to place him on the ballot after the office invalidated enough signatures during a random sampling to place him 120 below the 3,500 required. A majority were repealed largely due to “notary errors.”

McNeal submitted roughly 5,000 signatures to appear on the November ballot ahead of the April 30 deadline. He says that he opted to withhold 2,000 more after GOP Chair John Wiik sent a memo to Republican Party Central Committee members threatening their removal if they signed non-Republican petitions, or if they aided in his effort to collect the required number.

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