O'Malley misses deadline to be a write-in on Ohio ballot
LAS VEGAS -- Martin O'Malley missed a deadline this week to qualify as a write-in candidate on the Ohio primary ballot.
O'Malley initially failed to get his name on the ballot after the Board of Elections deemed hundreds of signatures submitted by his campaign as invalid.
A spokesman for Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted confirmed on Wednesday that O'Malley's paperwork to be a write-in candidate arrived at 8:01 a.m. on Tuesday, hours after the Monday afternoon deadline.
"We are unable to certify Governor O'Malley as a write-in candidate for the Primary Election because his Declaration of Intent was not received by the statutory deadline," wrote Jack L. Christopher, general counsel in Husted's office, in a letter to one of O'Malley's top aides shared with CBS News.
A print-out of the UPS "proof of delivery," along with the tracking information for the paperwork, was attached to the letter. "
"Our office also received a check for $150, which we are returning to you via U.S. Mail," Christopher wrote.After the former governor of Maryland was left off the ballot, a spokeswoman for O'Malley said the campaign was "exploring all of our options."
"Governor O'Malley will campaign vigorously in Ohio," said Haley Morris. "To date, he is already on the ballot in 18 other states."Morris did not immediately respond for a request for comment on the second missed deadline.