"We have those affidavits or registrations," he said. "We wanted to make sure we followed the law. You don't have to be a registered voter in Virginia. You have to be a potential voter. The intent to live here was sufficient."
Zeese also renewed the Nader campaign's criticism of Jensen, who initially refused to accept Nader's petitions last month, citing rules requiring that the signatures be grouped by congressional district. Jensen later accepted the petitions for review, at the direction of state Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, a Republican.
Jensen's actions, Zeese said Tuesday, "blatantly showed her true colors."
Jensen responded: "I hold my head up very high. In the 2 1/2 years I've been in this job, I've never, ever done anything partisan."
The Post's review of Nader's petitions found that three signature collectors appear to have stayed at a Quality Inn in Ashland, four at a Super 8 Motel in Fredericksburg and three at the Red Roof Inn in Troutville. Other hotels included the Roanoke Days Inn, the Days Inn Alexandria and the Best Value Inn in Chesapeake. Desk clerks at several of those hotels or motels said none of the people listed on the petition is currently checked in.
Attempts to reach most of the collectors were unsuccessful because they had checked out of the hotels.
Kendle Greenlee, who collected signatures for Nader, listed his address as 991 Millwood Pike in Winchester, the location of the Red Roof Inn there.
Contacted at his home in Texas, Greenlee declined to comment.
One Nader collector, who declined to be identified because he collects petitions for a living, said the Nader campaign brought in people to collect signatures in the District of Columbia and Virginia. He said the campaign required that collectors sign a letter stating that they intended to move to Virginia, even though for most of them that wasn't true.
"In all fairness, everyone does it," he said. "I do think the law, it shouldn't be that way. [But] it's up to the people to change it."
