Is Kanye West's presidential run all but over? Rapper falls short of making Illinois ballot by 1,300 signatures
Kanye West is all but out of the presidential race after he fell short of qualifying for the Illinois ballot as an independent candidate by 1,300 signatures, according to an official review of his nomination petition.
The Chicago, Illinois native had to submit 2,500 signatures -- down from 25,000 after a federal judge determined that the reduction was necessary amid the coronavirus pandemic -- but could only muster 1,200. He had reportedly presented 3,218, but a preliminary examination determined that 60 percent of them were invalid.
The results will be presented to a hearing officer, who will then make a recommendation about whether or not West should stay on the ballot. The recommendation will then be presented to the Illinois State Board of Elections on August 21, the day it will finalize the November 3 ballot. West's lawyers may attempt to restore the disputed signatures by providing evidence, but a turnaround is unlikely. If the board upholds it, it would be mathematically impossible for West to be elected president even if he won every single state where he could get on the ballot.
Ballot access deadlines have already passed in 21 states, with the rapper already missing Texas, Michigan, and Florida. He has also missed Washington, DC, which accounts for 246 electoral votes, and his filing in New Jersey, which accounts for 14 electoral college votes, was withdrawn after he was accused of electoral fraud. His filing in Wisconsin is facing petition challenges as well.
While he is on the ballot in Ohio and Colorado, failing to get on the ballot in Illinois would be fatal for his fledgling campaign because he would not be able to reach the threshold of 270 electoral votes. Besides the hearing officer's determination, West's petition in Illinois is facing a challenge from Sean Tenner, the 46th Ward Democratic committeeperson. Tenner told WTTV that he was moved to dispute West's filing after the rapper's highly-controversial speech at his first presidential rally in South Carolina on Sunday, July 19, where he spoke ill of Civil War-era slave and abolition activist Harriet Tubman. West had claimed Tubman "never actually freed the slaves" and "just had the slaves go work for other white people."
"Celebrity or not, everyone has to follow the rules," Tenner said of West failing to get the required number of signatures. "He didn’t come close." The Rev Mitchell Johnson, of South Holland, Denise Bradley, of Englewood, Charles Morris, of South Shore and Steve Spagnolo, of Albany Park, have joined Tenner in challenging West's petition.
"We need more education about Harriet Tubman’s legacy in this country — not mistruths about her," Johnson said. "We were saddened that West disrespected her legacy and then disrespected the laws of our state in a doomed effort to get on the ballot." A separate challenge to his filing in Illinois had also been made alleging he neither filed the required slate of Electoral College electors nor for a running mate, as required by state law.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported how Steven Kramer, an election strategist who had been hired by West to ensure his name would be on the ballot, had claimed the rapper already knows his bid is not feasible.