Ralph Nader will be on the ballot in 45 states and Washington, D.C., his campaign announced Thursday. According to the Nader campaign's press release, this "is the most ballots Nader has ever been on ... Nader was on 34 state ballots plus D.C. in 2004, and 44 plus D.C. in 2000."

The consumer advocate's run is getting less attention this year, but with the race as close as it is right now, he could still have an impact. Nader's campaign says he's "polling stronger this year than he was at the same time in 2004 or 2000," and points proudly to the results of polls that CNN and Time conducted in battleground states at the end of August that show him taking a potentially significant chunk of the electorate in some potentially pivotal places. In Colorado, he was polling at 7 percent; in Nevada, 6 percent; in New Mexico, 8 percent; and in Pennsylvania, 7 percent. The same poll data shows Barack Obama and John McCain tied in Nevada and separated by only a point in Colorado, with McCain ahead.

It should be noted, however, that third-party and independent candidates typically poll better than they actually end up doing on Election Day, especially when those polls are conducted with weeks left to go.