BREAKING: Cuccinelli Reconsiders Virginia Ballot Position

The Virginian-Pilot is reporting that Attorney General Cuccinelli is now reconsidering his earlier vow to intervene in the primary ballot mess in Virginia.  While he earlier stated that Virginians should be able to have their choice of candidate, today he has seemingly changed his mind:

Today, he said in a statement that he still feels strongly that Virginia should change its ballot access requirements.

“However, after working through different scenarios with Republican and Democratic leaders to attempt to make changes in time for the 2012 Presidential election, my concern grows that we cannot find a way to make such changes fair to the Romney and Paul campaigns that qualified even with Virginia’s burdensome system,” he said in the statement. “A further critical factor that I must consider is that changing the rules midstream is inconsistent with respecting and preserving the rule of law – something I am particularly sensitive to as Virginia’s attorney general.”

So in Virginia, it's going to be either Romney or Ron Paul.

Great.

As for now, Rick Perry's lawsuit (now joined by four other candidates) will go forward.

Crap shoot.

Yes Virginia, There May Actually Be More Candidates on Your Ballot!

Virginia's Attorney General is stepping into the GOP ballot bust.  Via Fox:

"Recent events have underscored that our system is deficient," he said in a statement. "Virginia owes her citizens a better process. We can do it in time for the March primary if we resolve to do so quickly."

Cuccinelli's proposal is expected to state that if the Virginia Board of Elections certifies that a candidate is receiving federal matching funds, or has qualified to receive them, that candidate will upon request be automatically added to the ballot.

Two former Democratic attorneys general are also backing the move, along with a former Democratic state party chairman and a former Republican state party chairman. 

Doug Powers points out that things will have to work quickly, however.  Absentee ballots need to be mailed out by January 21.


The last polling I saw from Virginia (and there is likely something more recent) showed Rick Perry with a decent chance there, but that was back in October.  Cain was still in the race then.  Much has changed.  


Here is how Virginia voted in 2008:

It does appear that the Virginia process is overly onerous and with Cucinelli getting bi-partisan support on this measure, we might be able to get a better result from Virginians as to their actual candidate preference.  

Added:  From CNN:

Four candidates left off the Virginia Republican primary ballot joined Rick Perry Saturday in suing the state's board of elections over laws they say are "unconstitutional." Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum joined the lawsuit, originally filed Tuesday, challenging provisions that determine who can appear on the primary ballot.

 

Traction.

More at Memeorandum.