Independent presidential candidate Cornel West has been approved to be on the ballot in Maine after a ruling by the state’s secretary of state, Shenna Bellows. This decision comes after a challenge to another candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was withdrawn. The inclusion of multiple third-party candidates in Maine is noteworthy as the state uses ranked choice voting to determine election outcomes.
Bellows stated that while some signatures in support of West were obtained fraudulently, there were still enough valid signatures for West to be included on the ballot. She emphasized that the actions of a few should not undermine the legitimate First Amendment rights of many individuals participating in the electoral process.
Maine’s ranked choice voting system allows voters to rank their preferred candidates in order of preference. This method is used to determine a winner if no candidate secures a majority of first-preference votes. Additionally, Maine is one of two states that divides electoral votes by congressional district, potentially impacting the outcome of the election.
Despite challenges to West’s ballot access in July, Bellows mentioned that the decision can be appealed in court within five days. Allegations of errors in certifying signatures were made against state and local election officials, but Bellows found that officials acted appropriately in verifying signatures, even in cases where minor discrepancies were present.
Cornel West is known as a leftist academic and progressive activist, and concerns have been raised that his candidacy might draw votes away from Democratic candidates in some states. Efforts to keep West on the ballot have been observed in various states, including Pennsylvania, where legal action has been taken to contest the rejection of West’s ballot paperwork.
In Pennsylvania, where West’s paperwork for ballot access was rejected, a lawyer connected to the Republican Party has argued that the secretary of state’s office erred in rejecting the paperwork due to missing affidavits from presidential electors. The office maintains that the paperwork did not meet the necessary requirements by the specified deadline.
