http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bernie-sanders-plans-hampshire-ballot-today-tricky/story?id=34981711
MANCHESTER, NH – This afternoon, the longest-serving independent in Congress, Bernie Sanders, will declare himself a “Democrat” in order to appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot.
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Like many other presidential candidates this week, Sanders plans make an official stop at New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office to file his ‘Declaration of Candidacy’ form for the first primary in the nation.
So far, the fact that an independent has been running for the Democratic Party’s nomination has only created linguistic challenges for journalists, but there remains a slim chance that it could create ballot challenges for the progressive superstar during the party primary process too. The New Hampshire ‘Declaration of Candidacy’ form requires candidates to fill in this ominous blank: “I am a registered member of the ___________________ party.”
The Sanders campaign confirmed to ABC News that Sanders will write in “Democrat” on the form. It also brushed aside any concerns over potential ballot challenges. “We have the support of the state party, the national party...and I don't think we'd see a scenario where he would not get on the ballot,” Sanders New Hampshire State Director Julia Barnes told ABC News.
The question is now: will New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner accept the form from Sanders? Most people involved in the state primary process agree that a real challenge to Sanders campaign is unlikely, but Gardner and his staff so far have been unwilling to say outright that Sanders is in the clear. “We have only two legal parties in New Hampshire,” Gardner told CNN back in April. “The primary is only for those legal parties… If they're going to run in the primary, they have to be a registered member of the party.”