Nader challenge threatens
to recall ballot

State elections officials had another math problem when reviewing the number of signatures needed on petitions to get consumer advocate Ralph Nader on the ballot for the presidential election.

The Nader campaign was required to submit 3,711 valid signatures. On Sept. 20, election officials told Nader supporters that they were 39 signatures short. Four days later they were told that they were 587 names short.

The discrepancy was a result of one batch of petitions being counted twice, according to elections officials.

Office of Elections spokesman Rex Quidilla said Dwayne Yoshina, state chief election officer, has not yet decided on the Nader ballot question, but expects to do so this week.

Officials are to start reviewing 1,500 disqualified signatures today in the presence of Nader supporters.

If somehow the discounted Nader signatures prove to be those of registered voters and Nader gets on the ballot, it will pose a problem.

City Clerk Denise DeCosta said the 47,000 requested general election absentee ballots are in the process of being mailed. "If we are told to redo the ballots, we would have to recall the ones that have already been sent out," DeCosta said.