In North Carolina, a judge has rejected a request from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remove his name from presidential ballots in the state. The decision came just a day before the initial batches of November absentee ballots are set to be sent to registered voters who have requested them. Wake County Superior Court Judge Rebecca Holt denied Kennedy’s request for a temporary restraining order to stop county elections boards from distributing ballots featuring his name. The judge’s decision means that ballots will likely not be sent out immediately on Friday as planned.
Kennedy, who appeared on the ballot in North Carolina as the nominee of the We The People party, endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump and sought to have his name removed from ballots in states where the race is expected to be close. Kennedy and We The People of North Carolina had requested that his name be withdrawn in North Carolina, but the request was denied by the board on August 29, prompting Kennedy to file a lawsuit. The board had cited practical concerns due to the timeline for ballot distribution.
North Carolina is slated to be the first state to distribute fall election ballots, with absentee ballots expected to be sent to over 125,000 in-state and military and overseas voters. Statewide, over 2.9 million absentee and in-person ballots had already been printed as of Wednesday. State officials warned that reprinting ballots without Kennedy’s name would delay the process and could result in missing the federal deadline of September 21 for sending ballots to military and overseas voters.
Kennedy’s attorney argued in court that his client had followed state law by requesting to step down as a candidate and that his free-speech rights were being violated by being forced to remain on the ballot. However, the judge sided with the state, citing the substantial harm and costs that would be incurred if ballots had to be reprinted. Despite efforts in North Carolina, Kennedy faced similar challenges in Wisconsin and Michigan to have his name removed from the ballot.
Following the judge’s decision in North Carolina, the state is poised to proceed with distributing ballots for the upcoming election.
