NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.abqjournal.com/elex/225043elex09-18-04.htm

ralph nader has been refused a spot on the new mexico ballot NOT because he didnt have enough signatures but because he was trying to run here as an independant.

the judge felt that because he was on the ballot in other states under the reform party banner, independant in others, and running as candidate of yet other "minor parties" in yet other states, that he cannot run in new mexico as an INDEPENDANT (since he as demonstrated on other state ballots that he is no "independant")

that's just silly. independent merely refers to the fact that he isn't backed by any particular party in that state, not in the nation. does the reform party even have a branch in nm? and did this judge also rule that kerry cannot possibly run as a democrat because in minnesota he's running as a democratic-farmer-labor party member?

Who took him to court over it, the electoral commision or what???

the democratic party challenged his right to be on the ballot

they sued based on the petitions not having enough valid signatures and him not really being independant

the judge accepted the petitions but decided that running on various tickets in various states meant he wasnt QUALIFIED to be an independant in new mexico

im not sure there is a law against it, but i can see where a less ethical candidate could try to abuse it by trying to disguise his true politics in states where his party wasnt popular.

interestingly enough, the newspaper reported that the judge who ruled against him had sent his campaign a contribution of $1000 earlier in the year.

im not sure there is a law against it, but i can see where a less ethical candidate could try to abuse it by trying to disguise his true politics in states where his party wasnt popular.

as if someone running as an independent is ever going to win an election for a position higher than mayor under a first-past-the-post election system.

though there is the possibility of a weaker party taking advantage of the system by running a fake candidate designed to draw votes away from the stronger party (this is essentially what the democrats think is up with nader). but they could do this anyway, independent or not.

Nader got booted off the ticket here in Arkansas, too, following a challenge by the Democrats to the validity of the petitions submitted to get him on the ballot.

Couldn't have someone bleeding votes away from their boy, Kerry, could they?

Nader got booted off the ticket here in Arkansas, too, following a challenge by the Democrats to the validity of the petitions submitted to get him on the ballot.

Couldn't have someone bleeding votes away from their boy, Kerry, could they?
good job, you jsut proved the point. save your petty partisanship for something else, like not talking

Nader's lawsuit in Florida, backed and funded by the Republicans, challenges that he should be allotted a slot on the ballot because he's the Reform Party Candidate and that they are a nationally recognized party. He can't have it both ways.

You can't be a member of a national party in one state and an independent in another.

Kudos to New Mexico.

The thing I don't get is that Nader says he dislikes the Republicans and Democrates, yet he takes money from the Republicans.

God works in strange ways, yet Nader takes the cake.

Nader's lawsuit in Florida, backed and funded by the Republicans, challenges that he should be allotted a slot on the ballot because he's the Reform Party Candidate and that they are a nationally recognized party. He can't have it both ways.

You can't be a member of a national party in one state and an independent in another.

Kudos to New Mexico.

In addition: The Florida court ruled that Nader cannot be on the ballot in Fla because the reform party is not recognized there, but the elections commission director placed him on anyways, ssaying thet they could not wait for the republican appeal due to Ivan. Now, if you can''t wait for an appeal, aren't you supposed to abide by the lower court????? <smells more republican piss gas>

Nader's lawsuit in Florida, backed and funded by the Republicans, challenges that he should be allotted a slot on the ballot because he's the Reform Party Candidate and that they are a nationally recognized party. He can't have it both ways.

You can't be a member of a national party in one state and an independent in another.

i don't see why not. each state party is technically independent from the national party organization. the reason they have party conventions is to make sure all of the state parties run the same candidates in national elections. but in the past it has happened once or twice that the mainstream parties ran seperate candidates in different states. it got lincoln elected.

and being an independent candidate doesn't mean that you aren't a member of a party, just that you aren't running for and being supported by any particular party in that state. i know of lots of democrats and republicans that have run as independents or write-ins because they didn't like the party's choice of candidate. it happens all the time in local elections.

we have also had previous cases where two seperate parties have run the same candidate - the populists and democrats both chose to run william jennings bryan in the 1896 election.

The thing I don't get is that Nader says he dislikes the Republicans and Democrates, yet he takes money from the Republicans.

God works in strange ways, yet Nader takes the cake.

I wondered about that. Are we talking big backings or are we talking about "hey it's money?"

What I would like to know is whether Independant was listed as an option on these so-called "other ballots," and if so, why he didn't choose to run with that?

i wanted to vote for nader, but then someone told me that i couldn't because he's not on the ohio ballot. is it because of the same issue in new mexico?

I'll wait until I've seen the NM judge's decision before I say anything about it one way or the other, but situations like this are the reason eleciton law is so complicated and confusing. When you run for President, you're not running one race--you're running 50, each with their own confusing and at times ridiculous requirements to be on the ballot. I mean, if you want to talk about exceptions being made for candidates, the Republican party held their convention so late that Illinois had to write an exception into their law in order to put Bush on the ballot and Florida ignored a deadline (no surprise) in order to put him on there.

it was quite a mess
the overseas absentee ballots had to be sent out by a certain date but those ballots didnt have naders name on the because of the earlier court rulings. the supreme court of NM halted the process (alhtough some had already been sent) so that all those ballots may get out too late to fit into the voting process at all
then the court ruled that it was better to have nader on the ballot than not. ( i didnt really read what their reasoning was but i assume it was because its better to err on the side of choice) so all those ballots that had not been sent out had to be destroyed and reprinted with naders name on them. i suppose its been done but i dont know for sure

early voting starts .... this week or next.

i wanted to vote for nader, but then someone told me that i couldn't because he's not on the ohio ballot. is it because of the same issue in new mexico?

You can always do a write-in vote.