Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry Join Bachmann, Santorum, Huntsman in Not Qualifying for VA GOP Primary Ballot

Good grief.

As it turns out, it’s not just Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and Jon Huntsman who did not qualify for the ballot in Virginia for their March 6, 2012 GOP Presidential Primary. Add Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry to the list:

POLITICO: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has failed to qualify for Virginia’s March 6 Republican primary, a development that complicates his bid to win the GOP presidential nomination.

“After verification, RPV has determined that Newt Gingrich did not submit required 10k signatures and has not qualified for the VA primary,” the Republican Party of Virginia announced early Saturday on its Twitter website.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry also fell short of the 10,000 signatures of registered voters required for a candidate’s name to be on the primary ballot, but former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul will be on the ballot. . . . Read More

I’m not sure how Virginia’s process compares to other states, but if it is so difficult to get on the ballot that you wind up with just Mitt Romney and Ron Paul listed, then maybe the process of qualifying needs to be changed. After all, the idea of having a primary is to give voters the chance to choose who they believe would make the best nominee for President.