The third--party candidate also appeared on the ballot here in 2004.

By Becky Orr
borr@wyomingnews.com


CHEYENNE - Campaign workers for Ralph Nader turned in petitions Monday to place him and his running mate on the state's November general election ballot.

Nader workers Nicole Brooks and Tyler Endsley submitted about 8,200 signatures to the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office.

State law requires the signatures of 3,868 registered voters to qualify for Wyoming's ballot.

Nader's name was on the ballot in 2004.

The Secretary of State's Office encourages petitioners to hand in twice the number of required signatures to make sure there are enough that are valid, state elections director Peggy Nighswonger said.

Wyoming will be the 38th state where Nader and his running mate, Matt Gonzalez, will appear on the ballot - if the required signatures are verified.

By Sept. 20, campaign organizers hope to have Nader and Gonzalez on ballots in 44 states and the District of Columbia,

Nader, a lawyer and consumer advocate, will stop in Cheyenne on Thursday.

He supports the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. He also wants to establish single--payer universal health--care insurance covered by the government and to increase the minimum wage nationwide to at least $10 an hour.

A lot of Nader's votes come from disenfranchised voters, Brooks said during a news conference in front of the state Capitol. Nader is pulling equally between Republican and Democratic voters, she added.

When asked how they respond to people who consider a vote for Nader is throwing away a ballot, Endsley said he talks to thousands who aren't happy with their choices.

"If you're not happy with John McCain and you're not happy with Barack Obama, why spend your vote on somebody you don't believe in? To me, that's wasting your vote," he said.

"If you vote (for) the candidate you believe in and who stands for issues that represent you, that's the best use you could have of a vote."

Nader led the effort to establish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, according to a release.

Gonzalez is the managing partner of Gonzalez and Leigh, a law practice in San Francisco, Calif. He is a former public defender. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and was its president from 2003--05.

The Secretary of State's Office will check the signatures to make sure the people who signed are registered voters, Nighswonger said. They hope to finish by Friday.