Lawsuit Challenges Va. Ballot Access Law

The Libertarian Party is challenging a state law that allows only Virginia residents to circulate petitions to get independent or minor party candidates on the presidential general election ballot, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

The complaint against the State Board of Elections alleges that the residency requirement in one of the nation's toughest ballot access laws unconstitutionally infringes on the plaintiffs' free-speech and freedom-of-association rights. No hearing date has been set.

"Circulating petitions for candidates is at the core of our constitutionally protected right to free speech," said Katie O'Connor, an attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project in Atlanta.

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