Sims says she believes she can fight ballot ousting, because she lived in same county
Former state Rep. Kathy Sims, R-Coeur d’Alene, is vowing to fight the Idaho Secretary of State’s decision to disqualify her from the ballot for not having been a registered voter in the Post Falls district where she’s seeking to run for a year – saying in a statement that she’s lived in the county, and she apparently believes that’s good enough. Here’s her statement, which she posted on Facebook:
"I have been a registered voter in Kootenai County for 50 years where I have voted in many dozens of elections since 1968. Article 3, Section 6 of the Idaho Constitution states that one must be an elector of the county or district one year prior to the election. I meet the criteria based on what the Idaho Constitution very clearly says and am continuing my campaign and fighting vigorously to stay on the ballot so that I can continue to promote conservative principles and issues for the people of Kootenai County and District 3."
Here’s the Idaho Constitution’s Article III, Section 6:
QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS. No person shall be a senator or representative who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of the United States, and an elector of this state, nor anyone who has not been for one year next preceding his election an elector of the county or district whence he may be chosen.
The Secretary of State's office informed Sims in a letter yesterday that as the ballots already have been printed, her name will be blacked out. Sims, who served three House terms from Coeur d'Alene's District 4 before losing to Rep. Paul Amador, R-Coeur d'Alene, in the 2016 GOP primary, registered in Post Falls' District 3, which has an open House seat, in February.
"If she wants to fight it, they'd better get a lawsuit filed pretty quickly, an injunction," Chief Deputy Secretary of State Tim Hurst said this morning. At this point, he said, Sims is off the ballot.
He also said the Secretary of State's office has been contacted by Pocatello attorney Tom Katsilometes about both Sims' and Phil Hart's ouster from the ballot over residency requirements, and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney will meet with Katsilometes tomorrow.
