20th August, 2020
The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted Thursday to keep American rapper Kanye West off the state’s presidential ballot in November.
On a 5-1 vote, the bipartisan commission ruled that West’s team failed to file its nomination by the deadline of 5 p.m. Aug. 4.
The panel is made up of three Republicans and three Democrats.
The commissioners rejected the argument made by West’s attorney that the rapper’s team actually had until 5:01 p.m. to file, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
West is running on the Birthday Party ticket with vice presidential candidate Michelle Tidball.
“I regret it’s the case,” said Commissioner Dean Knudson, a former GOP state lawmaker. “I do not feel they filed timely.”
West, who is hoping to get on the ballot in a handful of states, turned in more than 2,400 signatures on his nomination papers, more than the 2,000 minimum needed for an independent candidate to get on the ballot in Wisconsin.
Democrats are concerned that a West candidacy will siphon votes from former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat who will face Republican President Donald Trump in November.
Wisconsin Republicans took an active part in trying to get West on the ballot.
At least five of his 10 electors are Republican activists or Trump supporters. Also, Lane Ruhland, an attorney for the Trump campaign in a Wisconsin lawsuit, helped file the nomination papers for the West campaign.
One Wisconsin Republican source has said the goal is for West to get 107,000 votes, about what Libertarian Gary Johnson did in 2016. Trump won the state by a little more than 22,000 votes.