PEROT SCORES

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Comparing the feat to "climbing a cliff covered with ice," Ross Perot said that his supporters have submitted at least 95,000 registrations to the California Secretary of State, which would qualify his Reform Party for the 1996 California presidential ballot. Perot maintains that his organization will win places on the ballots in other major states. "If the registrations are valid, then Perot is clearly well on his way to forming a new national political party," says TIME's Laurence Barrett. "California was his toughest test logistically, from both the number of people he needed to sign on, and the amount of time he had to do it. He'll find the task easier in other states. The major parties now have a major problem with Perot in the race." To qualify for the California ballot, the organization needed at least 89,007 registrations submitted by 5 p.m. PDT Tuesday. The secretary of state's office will make its final tally of the registrations on November 13.