Arizona Supreme Court denies appeal by Kanye West; rapper to remain off Arizona ballot in November election
Kanye West won’t appear on Arizona ballot in November
The rapper is running an presidential campaign, and was trying to get on the Arizona ballot as an indpeendent.
PHOENIX - Kanye West's quest to get on the ballot in Arizona as an independent presidential candidate appears to have come to an end.
On September 8, the Supreme Court of Arizona issued a ruling that forbids the state's Secretary of State, the various county boards of supervisors and county recorders from placing the rapper and his designated presidential electors on the ballot for the election on November 3.
In the ruling, the state Supreme Court judges found that West did not comply with a provision in Arizona state law that requires a candidate to file a statement of interest with the state. Since the law stipulates that any petition signatures collected before the date of the statement of interest are "invalid and subject to challenge," the court found that West failed to qualify for the ballot.
The ruling came just days following a similar decision by a court in Maricopa County.
West's eligibility to appear on the Arizona ballot as a presidential candidate was challenged by a voter in a lawsuit that was filed in August, which alleges that West did not file a statement of interest, in addition to being a member of the Republican Party, meaning under state law, he is not eligible to be an independent presidential candidate.
In response, West, according to court documents, argued that state law bans the nomination only of members of the state's Democratic, Libertarian or Republican Parties, and notes that he is registered with the Federal Elections Commission as a member of a party called "The Birthday Party." Also, West claims that the office of President is exempt from statement of interest requirements. West’s lawyers said their client’s status as a registered Republican in Wyoming was irrelevant to getting on the Arizona ballot.
In eight of Arizona’s 15 counties, the deadline to print ballots was 5:00 p.m. on September 8.
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The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.