BELLEFONTE — After heated controversy concerning the eligibility of Student Party candidates on the Centre County electoral ballot this fall, a judge ruled in favor of the party yesterday, enabling the candidates to remain on the ballot.

Judge Thomas King Kistler declared Student Party members Justin Leto, Marc Morgan, Brian Hoskins and Chris Chambers "shall not be stricken from the fall 2001 ballot."

"We expected that outcome," Student Party mayoral candidate Justin Leto said.

Last Friday, the Libertarian Party filed a petition against the Student Party candidates saying that they did not have enough signatures to be on the ballot.

Libertarian Party Chair of Centre County Julian Heicklen, who filed the petition, said it was not intended to remove the Student Party candidates from the ballot, but to clarify the correct number of signatures needed to be placed on the ballot.

The Libertarian Party lost the case and the judge ruled in favor of having a lower number of signatures, Heicklen said.

"The decision is good for all minor parties because it lowered the number of signatures needed," he added. "We lost the battle that won the war."

Leto and other Student Party members claimed the county has used an incorrect system for a long time. The court agreed and the number of signatures needed was 37.

The Student Party had 41 signatures.

"At no time were we required to meet the 55 signatures," he said.

Leto said the deadline for any other challenges was 5 p.m. yesterday evening.

Heicklen did not challenge the Student Party.

The point of his petition was to establish a set number of signatures and that was accomplished, Heicklen said.

The focus now, Leto said, is to get students out there to vote.

"This was just a minor distraction. We're going to do what we set out to do," he said.

Heicklen and Leto are now coordinating efforts to get students to vote, Leto said.

"I think it's in everybody's interest to get students to vote," Heicklen said. "We intend to work with anyone, Republicans, Democrats, Greens, anyone."

"We're political opponents, but there are certain issues that we can and intend to work together for," Heicklen said.