Gingrich, Perry, Fail to Qualify for Virginia Primary Ballot

Candidates hoping to get their name on the Virginia primary ballot had to collect 10,000 signatures. Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich both failed to collect the required amount of signatures and will not be appearing on the ballot.

Gingrich, who has lived in Virginia for more than a decade, said last week that he had collected the 10,000 signatures, but the Republican Party of Virginia announced on Twitter that Gingrich had failed to collect enough signatures.

“After verification, RPV has determined that Newt Gingrich did not submit required 10k signatures and has not qualified for the VA primary.”

Perry and Gingrich are both expected to file petitions to be placed on the ballot. Michael Krull, campaign manager for Gingrich, said in a statement:

“Voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates. We will work with the Republican Party of Virginia to pursue an aggressive write-in campaign to make sure that all the voters of Virginia are able to vote for the candidate of their choice.”

But it isn’t likely that Gingrich will be able to be a “write-in” candidate since, according to the LA Times, “Virginia Code section 24.2-529 prohibits write-in ballots in primaries.”

Perry’s camp said in a statement:

“We will closely review the facts and law to determine whether an appeal or challenge is warranted. Governor Perry has the utmost respect for the strong place Virginia holds in our nation’s economic and military strength and in American history. He will continue to work hard to build strong support in Virginia and earn the trust of conservative-minded voters there.”

Mitt Romney and Ron Paul both collected enough signatures and will have their names placed on the ballot. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum will also be absent from the Virginia ballot.

Do you think Perry and Gingrich should be allowed to appear on the ballot?