One third-party presidential candidate has been certified to be on West Virginia's November ballot, while another has been disqualified, the Secretary of State's Office announced Friday.

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.

State officials, however, have contacted Independent Party nominee Ralph Nader, the consumer crusader, to let his campaign know it qualified for the ballot. At the last official count, Nader had more than 17,000 petition signatures verified, Bailey said.

One third-party presidential candidate has been certified to be on West Virginia's November ballot, while another has been disqualified, the Secretary of State's Office announced Friday.

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.

State officials, however, have contacted Independent Party nominee Ralph Nader, the consumer crusader, to let his campaign know it qualified for the ballot. At the last official count, Nader had more than 17,000 petition signatures verified, Bailey said.

It marks the third presidential election in which Nader has qualified to be on the state ballot. In the 2000 presidential election, Nader received 10,680 votes in the Mountain State. Four years later, that number dropped to 4,063.

Bailey was not certain if county clerks would continue to verify signatures submitted by Nader's supporters.

The candidate petitions are submitted to the secretary of state, who then sends them to all 55 county clerks to verify voter registration and signatures.

Bailey said it appears Constitution Party presidential nominee Chuck Baldwin, a televangelist, will be on the ballot. Party supporters submitted 21,704 signatures to be verified.

"That's usually enough," she noted.

Most of those are still being verified, though, and no official count is available.

Nader will join presumed Democratic nominee Barack Obama, presumed Republican nominee John McCain and Mountain Party nominee Cynthia McKinney on the November ballot. The Mountain Party has affiliated nationally with the Green Party, and its nominee, McKinney, a former Georgia congresswoman, will automatically appear on the ballot.

Reach Tom Searls at tomsea...@wvgazette.com or call 348-5198.