[lbo-talk] Nader Scrambles to Collect Thousands of Signatures washingtonpost.com

[Michael Pugliese]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46296-2004Apr2.html
>...Each state has its own standards -- different signature requirements, deadlines and time limits. Some are rather strict. Texas, for example, requires candidates to collect 64,076 valid signatures within two months, beginning on March 10. It also requires those signatures to be from registered voters who did not vote in the state's Democratic or Republican presidential primary earlier this year. 

At the other end of the spectrum, there is Tennessee, which requires just 25 signatures -- although that number is expected to be increased to 275 soon. New Jersey wants 800. The state of Washington asks for 1,000. Both Colorado and Louisiana will waive their 5,000-signature requirement if Nader pays a $500 fee. 

The District asks for fewer than 4,000 signatures; Maryland, about 28,000; and Virginia, 10,000. 

In all, Nader will need about 620,000 valid signatures to reach his goal of getting on the ballot in all 50 states, according to Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News and a leading authority on the topic. Nader will actually need many more than that, because scores of signatures will probably be disqualified for a variety of reasons. Winger said Nader needs to aim for about 900,000 signatures to clear the bar nationwide; the candidate has estimated that he will need 1.5 million.
<SNIP>

Michael Pugliese