Florida Supreme Court Gives Nader a Spot on State Ballot

I am far from an expert in election law, but common sense tells me that open elections in a democracy means access to ballots for candidates who wish to run for office. The electorate has a responsibility of their own: to study the candidates positions and select the candidate that they believe will be the best person for the position they are hoping to be elected to.

"Under Florida law, a minor party candidate for president could get on the ballot either by obtaining more than 90,000 signatures or by receiving the nomination of a 'national party,' a term that was not clearly defined. Mr. Nader received the Reform Party's endorsement at a convention in August, and based on that, sought the ballot line in Florida."

Apparently, Mr. Nader fulfilled his responsibility as a candidate, to the extent of the law in Florida: however, all laws are open to interpretation:

But Democrats challenged his candidacy, asserting that the Reform Party was no longer national in scope, was virtually penniless and that its convention had been staged with hired students purely to qualify for the Florida ballot. Designating it a "national party" would open the door to any group to have a presidential ballot line, they said.

I can only imagine, based on this final quote, that many in the Democratic Party, would apply the same reasoning to President Bush if they could. I'm sure they've already filed suit just in case.

"Voters need to be able to rely on the law to protect them against sham candidates and sham parties," said Elizabeth Holtzman, a former Democratic congresswoman and co-founder of the Ballot Project, a group that has been challenging Mr. Nader's candidacy in several states.

UPDATE: Lawyers line up