Republican legislators in Wisconsin, a key battleground state, are proposing a change to state law that would permit candidates to withdraw their names from the ballot. This initiative comes in response to an incident involving Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who faced challenges when he sought to remove himself from the presidential ballot last year.
After ending his independent presidential campaign in late August and endorsing Donald Trump, Kennedy attempted to withdraw from the ballot in Wisconsin and six other competitive states. However, he opted not to pursue removal in several states where the presidential race was not closely contested. While he successfully had his name removed in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada, his request was denied in Michigan due to a timing issue. In Wisconsin, the strict state law dictated that only a candidate’s death could lead to their removal from the ballot.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Wisconsin boasts one of the most stringent laws regarding candidate withdrawal in the nation. Kennedy escalated his attempts to remove his name in both Wisconsin and Michigan to the U.S. Supreme Court, but his emergency request was dismissed without explanation. It is worth noting that his request was made after early voting had begun in both states.
On Tuesday, two Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin introduced a bill for co-sponsorship aimed at amending the law to allow candidates for both state and federal offices to retract their names from the ballot. However, the proposed legislation would not apply to major party presidential candidates due to the distinct procedures by which they are selected, as explained by the bill’s co-sponsors.
If approved, candidates would be able to withdraw their candidacy by submitting a sworn statement to the Wisconsin Elections Commission and paying a small fee. For the bill to become law, it needs the endorsement of the Republican-controlled Legislature and must receive approval from Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat. As of now, his office has not responded to inquiries regarding the legislation.
In 2020, despite being on the ballot, Kennedy received a minimal number of votes in Wisconsin and Michigan, which were insufficient to affect Trump’s overall victories in these states. Specifically, in Wisconsin, he garnered just under 18,000 votes, approximately 0.5% of the total, while in Michigan, he received about 27,000 votes, also around 0.5% of the total. Trump secured Wisconsin by approximately 29,000 votes and Michigan by about 80,000 votes. Notably, Trump has since nominated Kennedy to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
