Burges’ original bill did not specify what documents would be acceptable. Consequently, the certification of live birth that the Obama campaign produced in 2008 might well qualify as sufficient documentation under that measure.

Burges’ new version raises the bar. It notes that the affidavit must be accompanied by “an original long form birth certificate that includes the date and place of birth, the names of the hospital and the attending physician and signatures of the witnesses in attendance.” (The other documentation required would include a list “that identifies the candidate’s places of residence in the United States for the preceding fourteen years.”) And the law states that if the candidate fails to submit these records, the secretary of state “shall not” place his or her name on state ballot…

But what if a candidate does not have a long-form version of his or her birth certificate, and the state where he or she was born could not locate a copy—say, it was lost in a fire, or simply misfiled? Would he or she be out of the running? The law also demands the candidate produce an “original” long-form birth certificate. Does that mean a copy wouldn’t suffice?