Jackson to Be on Dakota Ballot Despite Problems Over Funding

WASHINGTON —  Paper work problems stalled the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s bid for federal matching funds Tuesday, causing South Dakota Democratic leaders to flip-flop before deciding that he could be on the ballot for their second-in-the-nation primary.

South Dakota party officials announced in mid-afternoon that Jackson had not qualified under party rules--which require that a candidate be qualified for federal matching funds--and that he would not be on the ballot.

But only minutes before the 5 p.m. legal deadline, state Democratic Chairman Gene Mahan reversed that stand and put Jackson on the official list of candidates being sent to the secretary of state.

“As long as he’s qualified and his name will be certified by the FEC, I see no reason he shouldn’t be on the ballot,” Mahan said.

South Dakota’s primary is scheduled for Feb. 23, one week after New Hampshire’s.

Jackson campaign manager Gerald Austin vowed that the campaign would obtain Federal Election Commission approval for matching funds this week. Jackson is the only major presidential candidate in either party who has not yet qualified.

The FEC staff had found problems with the documentation submitted by the Jackson campaign, agency spokeswoman Sharon Snyder said, and the campaign had been asked to resolve them. She would not specify the problems.

Austin said the major problem with the documents is that a number of checks for contributions submitted by the campaign for matching funds had bounced, cutting Jackson’s submission below the legal minimums. “It’s technical stuff,” he said.

Presidential candidates become eligible for federal matching funds by raising at least $5,000 in individual contributions of $250 or less in at least 20 states.