Will Court's Nader Decision Affect Outcome of Election?

With three weeks to go until Election Day, Ralph Nader is back in the news. A Pennsylvania court ruled that Nader could not be on the ballot in the state because his petition contained invalid signatures. Nader plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court, but if the decision holds, it could have a huge impact on the election. Democrats, who fear that Nader will take votes away from Kerry, would love to see him off the ballot. Right now, Bush and Kerry are virtually tied, with Nader garnering three percent of the vote. Taking Nader off the ballot would probably tip the scales to Kerry in Pennsylvania, and because Pennsylvania is such a crucial swing stat--it has twenty-one electoral votes and Gore won by a slim margin in 200--Kerry could take the election.

Works Consulted
Zernike, Kate. "Court Strikes Nader from Pennsylvania Ballot." The New York Times
14 Oct. 2004. 14 Oct. 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/14/politics/campaign/14nader.html.