The Nation - News from Dec. 30, 1987

Paper work problems stalled the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s bid for federal matching funds, causing South Dakota Democratic leaders to flip-flop before deciding that he could be on the ballot for their second-in-the-nation primary Feb. 23. South Dakota party rules require that a candidate be qualified for federal matching funds before being placed on the ballot. But only minutes before the 5 p.m. legal deadline, state Democratic Chairman Gene Mahan reversed a decision announced earlier not to place Jackson’s name on the official list of candidates being sent to the secretary of state. “As long as he’s qualified and his name will be certified by the FEC, I see no reason he shouldn’t be on the ballot,” Mahan said.