Maine's secretary of state is appealing her decision to exclude Trump from the vote

Maine's top election official said Friday that she plans to appeal a state Supreme Court judge's ruling this week that upheld her decision to bar former President Donald J. Trump from the Republican primary. state has suspended.

In a statement, the official, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, said she welcomed guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to hear arguments on a similar case on Feb. 8. But in the meantime, she said, she will seek input from Maine's highest court.

“I know that both the constitutional and state authority issues are of great importance to many,” Ms. Bellows wrote in a brief statement Friday. “This call ensures that Maine's highest court now has the opportunity to weigh in before ballots are counted, promoting confidence in our free, secure elections.”

Ms. Bellows, a Democrat elected by the state legislature, ruled on Dec. 28 that Mr. Trump was ineligible for the state vote in Maine because he engaged in an insurrection by attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to encourage. The 14th Amendment disqualifies government officials “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding office.

Her decision made Maine the second state to ban him from the ballot, after a court in Colorado reached the same conclusion. Similar voting challenges have been filed in at least 35 states; Many remain unsolved, even though the primary season is already underway.

Lawyers for Mr. Trump appealed Ms. Bellows' decision to the state Supreme Court, arguing that her finding was biased and that she did not have the authority to exclude him from the ballot. Supreme Court Justice Michaela Murphy did not endorse or reverse Ms. Bellows' decision in her court order Wednesday, but ordered the secretary of state to make a new decision after the U.S. Supreme Court rules.

The Republican primaries in both Maine and Colorado are scheduled for March 5, known as Super Tuesday because many states hold primaries that day; the deadline for Maine to send ballots to voters abroad is Saturday. Because Ms. Bellows' decision to exclude Mr. Trump was stayed, first by her own ruling and then by the court, the ballots printed so far include Mr. Trump's name, her office confirmed.

Ethan Strimling, a former mayor of Portland who was among voters who challenged Mr. Trump's eligibility to vote in Maine, said he supported Ms. Bellows' plan to appeal the Supreme Court ruling and seek guidance elsewhere .

“The question needs to be answered,” he said.

Nicholas F. Jacobs, an assistant professor of government at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, saw little potential benefit in the appeal. Given the complex and unprecedented process now unfolding, Maine voters “are already in a precarious position, and will remain in such a position until the Supreme Court makes a decision,” he wrote by email.

“The only thing we can be sure of is that come Super Tuesday, Mainers will be even more confused about whether their vote counts,” he added.