Nader denied place on ballot
Ralph Nader, the independent presidential candidate who played a significant role in the 2000 election, will not appear on the Virginia ballot in November.
The announcement was made Tuesday morning after Nader failed to receive the required 10,000 certified signatures on his qualifying petition, said Jean Jenson, secretary of the Virginia board of elections.
Nader was only able to garner 7,342 signatures despite major efforts by his supporters. Officials in the Nader camp said they submitted about 12,900 signatures and worked to cross-reference and validate them with local voter lists.
Kevin Zeese , spokesperson for Nader and the Consumer Advocates party, said the campaign will examine the results. The only way Nader could potentially appear on the Virginia ballot would be through court action. Zeese said the campaign would consider this pending the review of excluded petition signatures. So far, six states have denied Nader from their ballots, according to the New York Times.
Jensen initially declined Nader's signatures because they were not grouped according to the state's 11 congressional districts. Jensen, the former director of the state Democratic Party, retracted and accepted the signatures three days later when Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore ordered him to accept the petitions.
The controversy has sparked talks of partisan politics. Democrats are working to keep Nader off the ballot in many states, especially those where the race between President Bush and John Kerry are closest, according to the New York Times. So far, Nader is set to appear on the ballot in 20 states, eight of which are among the most hotly contested.
