Gil's Troubles

A weird story today in the Star Tribune about a potentially problematic ballot situation for Congressman Gil Gutknecht (R) of Minnesota's 1st District.

Now, I haven't done any legal research on the issue, so I'm judging this solely on what the Trib reported, but it certainly sounds to me like Gutknecht has a problem. Or, perhaps I should say, he should have a problem. Essentially, this whole thing boils down to when signatures can be collected to petition your way onto the ballot in Minnesota. It makes sense to me that there is a specific window to collect the 1,000 needed sigs, and Gutknecht didn't even come close. There may be somewhat ambiguous language, but seriously, petitioning would make no sense without a specific window. That said, this is the law...and the law rarely follows common sense.

The other aspect of this story is that sometimes, political gimmicks can cost a politician. Gutknecht could have just spent $300 to get onto the ballot. Instead, to highlight his "fiscal responsibility," Gutknecht has always utilized the petition method. Puh-leaze. How you get on the ballot doesn't highlight anything, it just makes you look silly when inevitably somebody holds you to the standards for collecting the necessary signatures. I guess we'll find out soon whether Gil's gimmick is going to cost him more than a little embarrassment in the form of his Congressional seat.