Liberty Maven

According to the wvgazette.com, the Libertarian Party has indeed failed to collect enough signatures to put Bob Barr on the ballot this fall.  However, a lawsuit on the matter is in the works.

Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr, a former Georgia congressman, failed to submit enough signatures to be considered for a ballot spot, said Sarah Bailey, spokeswoman for Secretary of State Betty Ireland.

Under West Virginia law, third-party candidates for president must submit by Aug. 1 the valid signatures of 15,118 registered state voters who have signed a petition requesting the candidate be placed on the ballot. Barr’s campaign submitted only 13,036 signatures, Bailey said.

“I understand they are still collecting signatures,” Bailey said.

Barr’s campaign is continuing, said Mike Ferguson, a campaign coordinator. He hopes to have more than the 15,118 by next week.

“We’re continuing to collect signatures and next week we’re going to be filing [in court] for an injunction,” Ferguson said.

The party objects to the “arbitrary date” established by state law for having petition drives completed, he said. He said Republicans don’t have to officially file until their convention ends in September, “so there’s no compelling reason” to have independents submit signatures sooner.

Ferguson said he will meet with a lawyer Monday and expects to file a legal suit challenging state law shortly thereafter.