Winning requires spot on the ballot

The democratic process isn't a choice between every possibility. It is a choice between the things that choose to be chosen.

Most of the candidates for the Republican nomination for president chose last week not to be chosen in Virginia. They did that by failing to gather sufficient signatures on their petitions for inclusion on the commonwealth's March 6 Republican primary ballot.

The state requires 10,000 signatures, with 400 coming from every one of the state's 11 congressional districts. The Republican Party of Virginia is charged with certifying the signatures.

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman didn't bother submitting petitions. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry failed to meet the state's threshold.

As a result, the GOP primary in Virginia will be a contest between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Unless a challenge - there are currently two, including a lawsuit by Perry - is successful.

It is an undoubted disappointment to many voters that the majority of Republicans running for president are excluded from Virginia's ballot. And it's hard to dispute that gathering 10,000 signatures from Bristol to Onancock is difficult work.

But to put it in some perspective, to change the way Norfolk selects its school board would require about 12,000 signatures. Before you get on a ballot in the Old Dominion, there is work that must be done to prove you're serious.

The signature requirement wasn't a surprise to the candidates. Neither is the fact that a political party is entitled to determine who merits inclusion on the ballot.

That Gingrich is leading in the polls is irrelevant. That Perry has fans from one end of the state to the other doesn't matter. State law mandates the candidates gather certifiable signatures sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the party they want to represent.

That gave the campaigns a chance to prove their ability to organize. To plan ahead. To comply with Virginia's requirements.

Five of the candidates failed to do so. Under the rules, that means only two candidates have earned a spot on the Republican primary ballot. They're the only ones who've taken Virginia's process - and law - seriously.