By THE NEW YORK TIMES
| But don't let that stop you. |
Ralph Nader sued the Texas secretary of state yesterday to obtain a position on the state's presidential ballot in November, saying that the petition requirement for independent candidacies like his was unconstitutional. Mr. Nader's lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Austin after he failed to submit the 64,000 signatures necessary to secure a position on the ballot by the deadline, which was yesterday at 5 p.m.
| I thought for sure they'd find 64,000 moonbats in Austin. |
The standard for independent candidates in Texas is higher than for third-party candidates, giving them less time to secure the necessary signatures and mandating their submission earlier in the election cycle, obligations Mr. Nader called "an unconstitutional and discriminatory burden."
The secretary of state, Geoffrey S. Connor, said that the petition requirements had been challenged before in state courts and upheld, and that his office was prepared to defend them vigorously again.
| Let him on the ballot, it'll be entertaining. |
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