Here’s an odd one. I just received the latest press release from the Bob Barr campaign. Apparently both McCain and Obama have missed the filing deadline to be on the ballot in the state of Texas. The website for the Texas Secretary of State doesn’t show them as candidates.
Atlanta, GA – Bob Barr is slated to be the only presidential candidate on the ballot in Texas after Republicans and Democrats missed the Aug. 26 deadline to file in the state.
“Unless the state of Texas violates their own election laws, Congressman Barr will be the only presidential candidate on the ballot,” says Russell Verney, campaign manager for the Barr Campaign and the former campaign manager for Ross Perot. “Texas law makes no exceptions for missing deadlines.”
The Texas Secretary of State Web site shows only Bob Barr as the official candidate for president in Texas.
“We know all about deadlines,” says Verney. “We are up against them constantly in our fight to get on the ballot across the nation. When we miss deadlines, we get no second chances. This is a great example of how unreasonable deadlines chill democracy.”
“Republicans and Democrats make certain that third party candidates are held to ballot access laws, no matter how absurd or unreasonable,” says Verney. “Therefore, Republicans and Democrats should be held to the same standards.”
If this is the case, then I agree that they should indeed be held to the same rigid standards. But we’ll see what happens.
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