New Mexico Gov. Bill Richard is highlighting his campaign's success in getting his name on the presidential primary ballots of 17 states.

Still, he hasn't gotten on the ballots of eight states holding their primaries on or before Feb. 5 (a k a Super Duper Tuesday): Michigan, Arizona, California, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota and New Jersey. He's also not on the ballots of these states, which are holding their primaries before March 1: Louisiana, Virginia, Wisconsin, Hawaii and the District.

Sounds daunting, doesn't it? Actually, Mr. Richardson has done very well, considering his sparse financial resources.

The states have varying requirements for getting a candidate's name on a primary ballots. In some states, a candidate need only to appear at an elections office and pay a fee. In others, a candidate must hire dozens of workers to manage hundreds of volunteers who canvass door-to-door, then verify, certify and submit their paperwork to the proper authority.

For example, Virginia requires a candidate to collect petition signatures of 10,000 residents, ensuring that each of its 95 counties is represented and at least 400 signatures are from each of the state's 11 congressional districts.

Compare that with New Hampshire's requirements: 3,000 signatures, with half from each of the state's two congressional districts and a $1,000 filing fee.

— Brian DeBose, national political reporter, The Washington Times