SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Jim Bennett, the son of the late U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, sued the state of Utah Wednesday to be allowed on the ballot with his new political party in the November special election to fill the seat of outgoing U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah.
Bennett’s lawsuit claimed Utah state officials violated his constitutional rights when they ruled last month they did not have time to verify the 2,600 or so signatures that were gathered to establish the new United Utah Party and refused Bennett’s request for the party to be included on the ballot.
The lawsuit is not expected to derail the special election because Bennett said he is not challenging the validity of the rest of the process. United Utah Party chairman Richard Davis said the party is not asking for the election process to be halted while the lawsuit is heard.
State attorneys are reviewing the lawsuit and will lay out their position in court in hopes of finding a quick resolution, Utah state elections director Mark Thomas said in a statement.
“Clearly, there are differences as to the interpretation of the statute and the court is the best place to resolve those differences,” Thomas said.