Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin is not be eligible to be on the ballot in New Hampshire for the November election, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
The former CIA operative announced his campaign bid this week, saying he wants to give voters unhappy with the two major party candidates another option this November.
But Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan says McMullin didn’t file his declaration of intent paperwork in June, a required step toward getting on the ballot for the fall election.
“The only option they have at this point is running a write-in campaign," Scanlan said.
According to most estimates, McMullin has already missed the filing deadline in about half of the states.
Two other independent candidates – Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein – did file that paperwork in June, but it’s not yet clear if they’ll be on the ballot.
Scanlan says both candidates still need to submit 3,000 signatures – 1,500 from each Congressional district – required to get on the ballot.
“They have until tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5 o’clock to deliver the ones they’ve collected to the supervisors of the checklist in the various towns around the state," Scanlan said.
Copyright 2016 New Hampshire Public Radio
