A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit challenging Oklahoma's ballot access laws.

Two presidential candidates — Green Party candidate Jill Stein and progressive Rocky De La Fuente — and some of their supporters filed the federal lawsuit against the Oklahoma State Election Board in August, claiming the state's ballot access laws are biased against independent and third-party candidates.

Plaintiffs in the case had argued that the number of signatures and deadline requirements for third-party presidential candidates to get on the ballot in Oklahoma are unreasonable. Oklahoma also does not allow write-in candidates. The plaintiffs also had argued that Oklahoma has different ballot access laws for third-party candidates for statewide offices than for presidential candidates.

U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Friot rejected that argument in an eight-page ruling dated Dec. 13, noting the higher importance of a presidential election.