Nader off ballot

Harrisburg, Pa.

A Pennsylvania court removed Ralph Nader from the state’s presidential ballot last week, saying his nominating petitions were filled with forgeries. The Commonwealth Court ruled 32,455 out of 51,273 signatures invalid, leaving Nader 7,000 short. Nader’s petitions were filled with phony names, including Mickey Mouse, Fred Flintstone, and John Kerry. “This signature-gathering process was the most deceitful and fraudulent exercise ever perpetrated upon this court,” said Judge James Colins. The ruling could prove significant. Democrats had feared Nader would siphon votes from John Kerry, who is in a dead heat with President Bush for the battleground state’s 21 electoral votes.