After failing to provide enough voter signatures to make it on to the primary ballot in Virginia, Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry is resorting to suing the state.
Perry’s campaign on Tuesday filed suit in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, seeking to have the ballot access requirements in Virginia struck down as unconstitutional.
Virginia requires candidates to provide 10,000 signatures of valid voters. Only former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul met the requirement.
It’s viewed as a major problem for both Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who also didn’t make it on to the ballot.
The lawsuit lists the members of the Virginia State Board of Elections and the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party as defendants.
“Virginia ballot access rules are among the most onerous and are particularly problematic in a multi-candidate election,” said Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan. (RELATED: Full coverage of Rick Perry)
His campaign is arguing that voters and candidates have rights under the First Amendment and 14th Amendment that the Virginia law infringes upon.
The campaign also claims the Virginia Republican Party can instruct the Virginia Board of Elections to disregard the signature requirements.