The North Carolina election board has voted to approve a political party seeking to include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the presidential ballot in the state for the upcoming fall election. The board made this decision after reviewing the signature drives and voted 4-1 in favor of recognizing the We The People party that Kennedy, an author and environmental lawyer, is using to run in several states. This approval allows the party to add Kennedy to the statewide ballots.
On the other hand, the board voted 3-2 along party lines to reject the Justice for All Party of North Carolina from being included on the ballots. This party is supporting Cornel West, a professor and progressive activist. Both We The People and Justice for All parties managed to collect enough valid signatures from registered voters, fulfilling the 13,865 signatures required, which is a small portion of what is needed to run as an independent candidate in North Carolina.
The Democratic majority on the board raised concerns about the signature collection process by Justice for All, especially after a video showed a pro-Donald Trump activist gathering signatures for West outside a Trump rally, saying it would divert votes from Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Additionally, Justice for All faced scrutiny over signature collectors unrelated to the group and issues with People Over Party, which collected signatures in support of West’s candidacy.
The Republican members on the board believed that both parties should have been granted official party recognition, with GOP member Kevin Lewis expressing concerns that denying Justice for All ballot access could be unjust. Critics, including Republicans and their allies, alleged that the Democratic majority on the board was attempting to prevent candidates who might draw votes away from Biden from being on the ballot in a battleground state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020.
Meanwhile, Kennedy’s campaign stated that he is officially on the ballot in nine other states and has submitted signatures in 15 additional states. On the other hand, the West campaign confirmed securing ballot access in nine states, with ongoing efforts to finalize some certifications. Both Kennedy and West have faced backing from secretive groups and Republican donors in their ballot access drives in various states.
