Iowa’s State Objection Panel Stripped Libertarians from the Ballot
Iowa’s State Objection Panel removed three Libertarian candidates from the 2026 general election ballot because they used names other than their legal names on nominating petitions. The affected candidates are Marco Battaglia (legal name Mark T. Anderson), running in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, and gubernatorial candidate Nicholas Gluba and his running mate Jules Cutler. A fourth Libertarian, Rick Stewart (legal name Richard), was allowed to remain on the ballot for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District after Republican challenges.
Battaglia says the name he used is the one voters know him by from his music and podcasting work. He also previously ran for office under that name without facing removal. The objection panel ruled against him anyway, and he is now appealing to Polk County District Court.
The 2024 Precedent Should Concern All Third-Party Candidates
This is not the first time Iowa Republicans have used this tactic. In 2024, three Libertarian candidates, including Battaglia and Gluba, were removed from the general election ballot under nearly identical circumstances. Those cases were consolidated, and the Iowa Supreme Court ultimately ruled to keep the candidates off the ballot.
Deputy Solicitor General Patrick Valencia, representing the State Objection Panel, argued in a July 10, 2026 hearing before Judge Patrick Smith that the 2026 cases raise the same legal questions and should be consolidated again.
“The bottom line is, we don’t want the consolidation of these cases to slow down Mr. Battaglia’s case in any way.”
Rachel Scherle, attorney for Marco Battaglia, Polk County District Court hearing, July 10, 2026
Battaglia’s attorney, Rachel Scherle, opposes consolidation specifically because of timing. The objection panel handled the two cases separately, she argued, which means the appeals should proceed separately. Merging them risks delaying a resolution past the point where Battaglia could return to the ballot in time for the election.
Ballot Access Laws Give Incumbents a Structural Advantage
Iowa’s name-matching requirement for nominating petitions is not a neutral rule. It gives the major parties, whose candidates rarely use names other than their legal ones in public life, an easy procedural tool to knock third-party candidates off the ballot. Republicans filed the original complaints against the Libertarians. A former Republican state Senate candidate, Bernie Hayes, filed the challenge against Stewart and is now appealing the panel’s decision to keep Stewart on the ballot, seeking to remove him too.
The pattern across 2024 and 2026 is the same: file objections, consolidate the appeals, and let the courts run out the clock. Iowa has no statewide protections for candidates who use professionally recognized names, even when those names appear in prior election records without challenge.
What You Can Do Now
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Call Judge Patrick Smith’s clerk at the Polk County District Court at (515) 286-3772 and ask when a ruling on consolidation is expected in Battaglia v. Iowa State Objection Panel. Knowing the timeline helps advocates respond before deadlines pass.
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Contact Iowa Secretary of State Joel Miller’s office at (515) 281-5204. Ask what ballot access protections exist for candidates who use professionally recognized names, and whether the office plans to clarify petition requirements before the 2026 election cycle closes.
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Contact your Iowa state legislators at the Iowa General Assembly (515-281-3221) and urge them to introduce ballot access reform that recognizes professionally used names on nominating petitions. Name the 2024 Supreme Court ruling and the current 2026 removals as evidence that the existing law is being used to eliminate third-party competition.
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Find Iowa-based ballot access advocacy at the Ballot Access News site (ballotaccess.org), which tracks litigation timelines and state-by-state petition law changes. Use their Iowa case records to inform any public comment or testimony you submit.
Sources
Iowa Capital Dispatch: State Attorney Seeks to Combine Libertarian Ballot Cases Ballot Access News: Iowa Ballot Access Law Overview and Litigation History Iowa Courts: Polk County District Court Case Search