Bush's brother at centre of row over Nader nomination on Florida ballot

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1304899,00.html

Florida and Jeb Bush, the president's brother, were once more at the centre of a legal row over the presidential election yesterday, after Governor Bush's administration intervened to ensure Ralph Nader was on the state ballot.
Florida Democrats, fearing Mr Nader will take votes away from them, accused the state government of flouting a court order last Wednesday that removed the third party candidate and veteran consumer activist from the ballot, on the grounds that the group sponsoring him, the Reform party, was not a nationally recognised party.

Mr Nader's lawyers challenged the verdict but his name remained off the state ballot pending the appeal. However, Governor Bush's secretary of state, Glenda Hood, has stepped in and submitted her own appeal which automatically suspended the court order, putting Mr Nader back in the running just in time for absentee ballots to be posted to 50,000 US soldiers and other overseas voters by a Saturday deadline.

"This is blatant political manoeuvring by Jeb Bush to give his brother a leg-up on election day," the Florida Democratic party's chairman, Scott Maddox, said. "And it's just plain wrong."

Once Mr Nader's name was on absentee ballots, the state government would use the fact to strengthen the case to include it on all ballots across Florida on election day, Mr Maddox claimed.

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