The Republican nominee for Lyon County Sheriff is seeking judicial review of a decision that the county’s incumbent sheriff is eligible to be on the General Election ballot as the Libertarian Party’s nominee.
Iowa State Patrol Trooper Brian Hilt won the Republican Primary for Lyon County Sheriff in June. But since one person wrote his challenger Sheriff Stewart Vander Stoep’s name on the Libertarian Party’s Primary ballot in Lyon County, Vander Stoep became the Libertarian nominee. That was verified by a 2-to-1 vote last week by an objections panel, made up of two members of the Lyon County Board of Supervisors and the Lyon County Recorder. But now Hilt has filed a lawsuit seeking judicial review to reverse their decision, calling it “arbitrary…illogical and based on an erroneous interpretation.”
Vander Stoep sought the Republican Party’s nomination, but lost to the state trooper. Trooper Hilt’s appeal claims the sheriff had to be nominated by a county convention of Libertarians and argues the sheriff could not have been nominated by a single write-in vote on the Libertarian ballot. The appeal asks for quick review of the case. Iowa’s Secretary of State has said 11:59 tonight (Wednesday) is the deadline for certifying candidates for the General Election, so the ballots can be printed in time.
