Rep. and Dem. Pres. Candidates Expected to Be on TX Ballot Despite Deadline
By: Nader Campaign

Both the Democratic and Republican Parties missed the August 26 deadline for their presidential candidates to be listed on the Texas ballot. For independent and minor party candidates, Texas is one of the most obstructive states in the country for being listed as a presidential candidate on the ballot. In 2008, only one minor party, the Libertarian Party, has managed to have their presidential candidate listed on the ballot in Texas since the party met the minimum state-office polling requirements in 2006 to maintain ballot access. Their presidential candidate, Bob Barr, has filed an action in court to enjoin the Texas secretary of state from listing the Democratic and Republican candidates on the ballot.

"Clearly this presents three options for the Democrats and Republicans," says independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader. First, they could recognize that our crazy-quilt system of unfair ballot access laws harms not only independent and minor party candidates but also democracy processes. They could provide real reform to ensure that voters are able to vote for candidates of their choosing in this upcoming and future elections."

"Second, they could take the same medicine they have been dishing out to grassroots candidates for decades, and have their candidates John McCain and Barack Obama join me as write-in candidates in Texas," continues Nader. "But what is most likely is that they will choose the third option, which we have seen in the past. They will simply lean on state officials to ignore the law or direct the Texas legislature to push back the deadline after it expired. If this happens, then it is just another example of political bigotry and its double-standard in American politics: independent and minor-party candidates are strictly held to ridiculous requirements to participate in democracy, while the two-party duopoly are given a privileged pass."

Ralph Nader congratulates the Libertarians for being the only political party to qualify their presidential candidate on the ballot in Texas and wishes them well on their lawsuit to apply the same standard to all presidential candidates.