Nader’s campaign gets signatures to get on S.C. ballot

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ Campaign officials for perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader say he has enough signatures to get on the South Carolina ballot.

The campaign said Monday it was turning in 18,533 petitions gathered from South Carolina voters to the state Election Commission.

Nader petition organizer David Peyton said the campaign expects to be on the ballot in 45 states. Five other states’ ballot access laws will sideline Nader.

Nader isn’t affiliated with a political party and will appear on the ballot as a petition candidate. Peyton said Nader will keep presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama accountable for what they say during the campaign.

Nader last ran as the Green Party candidate in the 2004 presidential election, picking up only 5,520 of the 1.6 million votes cast.