Election 2012: the curious case of Alan Aversa
After downloading my sample ballot, I noticed a third candidate running against John Archer and Dave Loebsack for the 2nd Congressional District seat: Alan Aversa. Printed below his name on the ballot is “Nominated by Petition.”
Who is this guy? I thought. Always interested of third party and independent candidates, I searched for and found his campaign website to learn more about him. Not only was I disappointed to find he is a single-issue candidate, I was alarmed by the fact he does not even live in Iowa’s 2nd District.
According to the “About Alan” page on his website: “Alan Aversa, previous president of the University of Arizona's Students for Life pro-life club, is a graduate student studying physics. He resides in Tucson, Arizona.” On the Johnson County Auditor’s website, his address is listed as 255 N Granada Ave Apt 1020, Tucson, AZ 85701.
Wait a minute, I thought. Aren’t US Representatives required by the Constitution to live in their districts? Yes, they are. Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution states:
Okay, so how did Aversa even get on the ballot in Iowa?
To answer that question I called the Johnson County Auditor’s office and talked to a man who I assume was John Deeth, a fellow IC blogger. Deeth mentioned Aversa at the end of this post and the man I spoke with told me the exact same story. He added that he did some checking and found it is apparently not illegal for out-of-state citizens to run for office in Iowa — something which is echoed by Chad Olsen of the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office in this CRG article. “But by law,” as the article states, “they must be a legal resident at the time of their election.” So unless Aversa or the other single-issue, out-of-state candidates have moved to Iowa before Election Day, they are, as Olsen said, “screwed.” (Apparently, Aversa also ran a write-in campaign for a seat in the Arizona legislature earlier this year.)
According to the man at the auditor’s office, many others have inquired about the legality of Aversa’s candidacy. The fact that an Arizona resident is a candidate in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District does not seem to be going over too well. However, not only is it legal but “Deeth” said no one contested Aversa’s nomination. That is why he is on the ballot.
Though I will not vote for him, I believe Alan Aversa is entitled to his opinion. However, I think he needs to run for office in his home district. For the next general election, I will personally keep a vigilant watch for out-of-state candidates and contest their nominations. And I do not think I will be alone.
Who is this guy? I thought. Always interested of third party and independent candidates, I searched for and found his campaign website to learn more about him. Not only was I disappointed to find he is a single-issue candidate, I was alarmed by the fact he does not even live in Iowa’s 2nd District.
According to the “About Alan” page on his website: “Alan Aversa, previous president of the University of Arizona's Students for Life pro-life club, is a graduate student studying physics. He resides in Tucson, Arizona.” On the Johnson County Auditor’s website, his address is listed as 255 N Granada Ave Apt 1020, Tucson, AZ 85701.
Wait a minute, I thought. Aren’t US Representatives required by the Constitution to live in their districts? Yes, they are. Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution states:
No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
Okay, so how did Aversa even get on the ballot in Iowa?
To answer that question I called the Johnson County Auditor’s office and talked to a man who I assume was John Deeth, a fellow IC blogger. Deeth mentioned Aversa at the end of this post and the man I spoke with told me the exact same story. He added that he did some checking and found it is apparently not illegal for out-of-state citizens to run for office in Iowa — something which is echoed by Chad Olsen of the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office in this CRG article. “But by law,” as the article states, “they must be a legal resident at the time of their election.” So unless Aversa or the other single-issue, out-of-state candidates have moved to Iowa before Election Day, they are, as Olsen said, “screwed.” (Apparently, Aversa also ran a write-in campaign for a seat in the Arizona legislature earlier this year.)
According to the man at the auditor’s office, many others have inquired about the legality of Aversa’s candidacy. The fact that an Arizona resident is a candidate in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District does not seem to be going over too well. However, not only is it legal but “Deeth” said no one contested Aversa’s nomination. That is why he is on the ballot.
Though I will not vote for him, I believe Alan Aversa is entitled to his opinion. However, I think he needs to run for office in his home district. For the next general election, I will personally keep a vigilant watch for out-of-state candidates and contest their nominations. And I do not think I will be alone.
