Sources sent me information alleging there were signature gathering and other problems with Ralph Nader's campaign last week. I had written an entry criticising Nader for accepting donations from the nefarious Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Readers said there were other alleged irregularities. Among them were claims persons gathering signatures to place Nader on ballots did not meet the requirements of state law. It was also said that many of the signatures presented were false. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Nader. He has been permanently removed from the ballet in Ohio.
The Associated Press has the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to put independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader on the ballot in the battleground state of Ohio.
On Friday, Nader asked the high court to review Ohio's decision to remove him, arguing that a state law that requires people who collect signatures on candidates' petitions be registered voters violated free speech rights.
Nader's request for a review went to Justice John Paul Stevens, who referred the matter to the full court. The justices denied the request without comment Tuesday.
. . .Democrats, fearful that Nader could cost them votes if his name is on the ballot, had presented evidence to Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell that petition collectors registered at fraudulent addresses or places they didn't live.
The campaign is responsible for making sure its signature collectors meet the requirements of the various states they solicit in. That can be difficult since the rules in regard to signature gatherers vary from state to state. And, the companies providing labor sometimes send workers who are not citizens of a state to gather signatures there. Still, the basic requirements of due process were met in this situation. The Nader campaign was aware of the laws requiring that signature gatherers in Ohio be residents and registered voters.
The Toledo Blade describes the circumstances that resulted in Nader's removal.
Michael Cassidy, a suburban Cleveland attorney representing Mr. Nader's campaign, said Ohio law requiring petition circulators to be Ohio residents and registered voters violates the First Amendment. The reason: The signatures of registered voters were invalidated because the state said circulators weren't Ohio residents.
In ordering Mr. Nader off the ballot, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell accepted the conclusion of an assistant elections counsel who ruled that 2,756 of the Nader petition signatures should be invalidated.
Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2
Article comments
1 - RJ
While I do not oppose the High Court's ruling in this case, it is interesting to note that Democrats have done nearly everything in their power to keep Nader off of the ballot in nearly every state in the country.
They don't want voters to have a thurd choice. And that's anti-democratic.
2 - Al Barger
Oh, they DO have a third choice: Libertarian Michael Badnarik. I will note for the benefit of those interested that this will make Badnarik the only anti-war candidate on the Ohio ballot- as is the case here next door in Indiana.
3 - Mac Diva
Constitution Party candidate, and League of the South member Michael Peroutka is also oppposed to the war. He believes the South was right during the Civil War. Peroutka also believes the invasion of Iraq to be similar to the 'invasion' of the South. So, he opposes the war. And, yes, he is on the Ohio ballot.
4 - Al Barger
The more candidates on the ballot, the better, I say. I regret that Nader isn't on our Indiana ballot, though that certainly helps the Libertarians, now the only third party on the ballot. If the Constitution Party is on the Ohio ballot, bully for them.
For the record, I do not think the South was right during the Civil War. I think that the North was very wrong. That's not the same thing.
Analagously, Richard Nixon was a no good crook. It speaks ill of the nation that we elected him president. Yet that does not mean that George McGovern was "right." He was perhaps even worse, in terms of public policy.
5 - RJ
"Constitution Party candidate, and League of the South member Michael Peroutka is also oppposed to the war. Like Al Barger, he believes the South was right during the Civil War."
Slander, anyone?