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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Two candidates disqualified from legislative races for missing financial disclosure deadlines will remain on Tuesday's general election ballot.
Republicans Robert Miles and Jonathan Storrs were both removed from their respective state House of Representatives races by the state elections office on Tuesday. Both failed to meet the 5 p.m. disclosure deadlines required by law.
But they were ordered back on the ballot by 3rd District Judge Robert Reese Friday afternoon, after both candidates said computer data entry errors were to blame for missing the deadlines.
Miles, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Neil Hansen in District 9, said at a hearing that he entered his financial data on Monday, but failed to hit the "submit" button.
Storrs, who is making his second bid to unseat Democratic Rep. David Litvack in District 22, said his father was to make the submission for him, but had the wrong user name and password to access the state web site. The problem was only discovered 10 minutes before the deadline, he said.
Reese said he believed both candidates intended to comply with state requirements.
"Both Mr. Miles and Mr. Storrs made efforts that comply with state law," the judge said. "The problems seem to be technical."
A total of five disqualified candidates, including three state board of education candidates, have now been restored to ballots by judges this year. All reported problems with the state elections office web site.
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Information from: The Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
