The Presidential Campaign

Two lawsuits try to keep Nader off ballot

State Democratic chairman Scott Maddox says the Reform Party staged a sham convention and nomination of Nadar.

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Democratic Party and an independent group of voters separately sued the state Thursday, trying to keep Ralph Nader off the November ballot and accusing the Reform Party of conducting a sham nomination process.

Both lawsuits say the Reform Party is not a viable political party and that Nader wasn't legitimately nominated at a convention, which they said is required by state law to get on the ballot.

The Nader campaign says the party did have a convention, where Nader's nomination was formally decided. Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese called the Democratic Party's effort a "Hail Mary pass lawsuit and a desperate attempt to prevent voters from having a real choice."

Nader's presence on the 2000 ballot may have cost Al Gore the presidency. President Bush won Florida by 537 votes after five weeks of recounts. Nader received 97,421 votes. Both Democratic and Republican officials have said most of those votes otherwise likely would have gone to Gore.

One day before the deadline, the Reform Party submitted an application to the state's Division of Elections in Tallahassee earlier this week to place Nader and running mate Peter Camejo on the ballot.

The Reform Party nominated Nader during a two-day conference call earlier this summer. Zeese said the party had three rounds of voting during the call before Nader won. He said the party then had an in-person convention last weekend in Texas to formalize the nomination.

The Florida Democrats' lawsuit names Nader as a defendant along with Secretary of State Glenda Hood and Gov. Jeb Bush, who must certify the ballot. Joining state Democratic chairman Scott Maddox in filing the suit are two Reform Party of Florida members, Candice Wilson of Pinellas County and Alan Herman of Broward County.

The other suit was filed by four voters: Harriet Black, a Pinellas County Republican; Bob Rackleff, a Democrat and a Leon County Commissioner; William Chapman, a Reform Party voter from Ocala; and independent voter Terry Anderson of Miami. It named Hood and the Reform Party as defendants and seeks an injunction blocking Nader from the ballot.

Both suits were filed in Circuit Court in Tallahassee.

A spokeswoman for Hood didn't immediately return a call seeking comment after hours Thursday.

Maddox said the Reform Party held the convention because they realized the phone call wouldn't satisfy Florida law. He said the convention was a sham and Nader was never actually nominated.

He also said the Reform Party is just a loosely organized group.

"It would be the same if a bunch of my buddies that I watch football with got together and said we are going to nominate you for president," he said.

The Reform Party is in a bit of disarray. Its treasurer, William D. Chapman, recently sent a letter to federal election officials saying the party has $18.18 in the bank and should be terminated. Reform Party national chairman Shawn O'Hara accused Chapman of leading a "minor coup," and he was suspended as treasurer.

Some Democrats have also accused Republicans of secretly backing the Nader effort to take votes away from Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

Florida GOP spokesman Joseph Agostini said that wasn't true, but he criticized Democrats for trying to block Nader's access to the ballot.

"We're going to win with or without Ralph Nader on the ballot," Agostini said. "We welcome Ralph Nader, but our strategy doesn't include (him).

"The tactics that the Democrats are using are getting more and more desperate," Agostini said.