Despite the fact that well over three times the number required were turned in, Texas state officials says the campaign fell short by 93 signatures. A large number of signers were ruled invalid because of a state law prohibiting participants in any party primary from signing ballot petitions for independent candidates.

"This is an outrageous attack on our rights by the Texas secretary of state and its elections division," Dutrow said in response to the decision. "The state threw out more than 1,000 names of workers, youth, and others who wanted to see a working-class alternative on the ballot."

Supporters of Dutrow’s campaign have begun to protest this attack on democratic rights. "The Socialist Workers campaign will vigorously reach out to protest this use by the bosses of the election arm of the state to silence my campaign," Dutrow said. "This is also a broad attack on working people’s ability to organize political alternatives to the two capitalist parties and their candidates."

What’s at stake, Dutrow said, is that "the state hopes to throttle my campaign’s ability to speak out against the deadly bombings in Afghanistan and the denial of constitutional rights to U.S. citizens, all in the name of Washington’s so-called war on terrorism."

"The state opposes our campaign’s clear stance in calling for jailing the Baytown cops who killed Luis Alfonso Torres, a Mexican immigrant," the socialist candidate said. "The bosses and their government don’t like the idea of a candidate who supports struggles of workers, such as the fight unfolding today in Texas City by unionists locked out by Sterling Chemical. These are the stands we take that attracted the more that 1,700 signers to support our place in the November election."

Phil Duzinski is a garment worker in Houston.  
 
 
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