The state of North Carolina has declined a request by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) to be taken off the state's 2024 ballot.
The independent presidential candidate and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy suspended his campaign on Aug. 23 during a press conference in Phoenix. He later joined former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, during the latter's campaign rally in the city. RFK Jr. then endorsed Trump and exhorted his supporters to do the same.
In line with his withdrawal, RFK Jr. said he plans to remove his name from the ballot in states where it could potentially hurt Trump, while stating his intention to remain on the ballot in states where his presence would harm Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.
"In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I'm going to remove my name," he said. "And I've already started that process and urge voters not for me."
Officials in the Tar Heel State turned down his request, however. The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) voted on Aug. 29 to keep RFK Jr. on the ballot, citing logistical and financial challenges. Despite this, votes cast for the now-withdrawn independent candidate won't be counted. (Related: RFK Jr. secures a spot on the North Carolina presidential election ballot with 10,000 signature surplus.)
WBTV 3 reported that the NCSBE made the decision due to the timing of his withdrawal, which coincided with the start of ballot printing across the state. Approximately 1.73 million ballots had already been printed in over 60 counties by the time the board voted on RFK Jr.'s request.
NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson also explained that reprinting and redistributing ballots without his name would require at least 13 days and incur additional costs. Thus, the board ruled it was impractical to make the changes given the tight timeline and financial considerations.
RFK Jr.'s name also stays on the ballot in Michigan
Michigan likewise rejected RFK Jr.'s request to have his name struck off the state ballot.
"RFK Jr.'s campaign reached out to the Michigan Bureau of Elections (MBE) … in an attempt to withdraw his name," said Cheri Hardmon, a spokeswoman for the bureau. She subsequently told Michigan Public Radio that the campaign was informed that the Aug. 6 deadline to remove his name from the ballot had passed.
According to WKAR 23, RFK Jr. is on the state ballot as the nominee of the Natural Law Party of Michigan (NLPM) which helped its nominating convention in April. The MBE spokeswoman said it could have held a new nominating convention any time until the state's August primary.
"The [NLPM] held their convention to select electors for RFK Jr. They cannot meet at this point to select new electors since it's past the primary," she explained. The NLPM and RFK Jr.'s campaign did not respond to requests for comment sent by WKAR 23.
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Watch Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disclosing that he would be actively campaigning for former President Donald Trump during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."
This video is from the Rick Langley channel on Brighteon.com.
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