CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 4, 2000 (Web Today)—"For want of a nail, the shoe was lost…"

Many of us remember the fictional story of how a missing horseshoe nail cost a kingdom. And while none of us in the editorial offices at Web Today claim to fill the office of "prophet," it’s just possible that this year’s national presidential election results could hinge on a Federal Court ruling from Illinois that has attracted virtually no media attention.

In 1998, Jim Tobin of National Taxpayers United of Illinois filed suit against the Illinois State Board of Elections for refusing to allow Libertarian Party candidates a place on the state ballot. A ruling in favor of the Tobin for Governor organization recently handed down by the Federal District Court, Northern District of Illinois confirmed it’s illegal for the Republicrat appointees of the ISBE to artificially void thousands of potentially valid petition signatures for the obvious purpose of keeping third party candidates off the ballot.

In the wake of that ruling, the ISBE has just decided not to challenge the 39 thousand signatures gathered by Green Party officials to place Nader’s name before Illinois voters. Political observers know Illinois is a major state, which could help determine the outcome of the election if the voting is close, as it was in 1960.

In various polls, Nader has received up to six percent of the projected vote. Given Nader’s liberal leanings, it’s expected the vast majority of his support will come from the ranks of Gore voters, possibly enabling George W. Bush to take the state and eke out a close win this November.

Possibly.

We’ll have to wait a few weeks to see if we "nailed" it.

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