A federal judge has ordered Virginia’s 134 local electoral boards not to mail out any ballots for the March 6 Republican primary until after a hearing Friday. U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. also told the Virginia State Board of Elections to direct the local boards to refrain, to the extent possible, from printing ballots until the hearing on Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s emergency challenge can be held.
Perry and three other Republican hopefuls, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, are challenging Virginia election law in the hopes of getting their names on the ballot.
Perry and the others did not collect the required 10,000 signatures to be placed on the ballot. The state GOP certified only two candidates, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The four who were not certified are challenging the constitutionality of a Virginia law requiring people collecting signatures for ballot access to be state residents.
Full Article: Federal judge says to wait on GOP ballot | Richmond Times-Dispatch.