RFK Jr ballot access:
RFK Jr ballot access: He has filed a lawsuit to have his name removed from North Carolina’s general presidential election ballot. This development comes in contrast to his prior, multi-state efforts to attain RFK Jr ballot access in multiple states.
In August, RFK Jr dropped his presidential bid as an independent and threw his support behind Donald Trump. In the weeks since, he has been working to remove his name from pivotal state ballots, in a bid to prevent his candidacy from becoming a potential spoiler that might help the Democratic Party. In the suit filed in Wake County Superior Court, attorneys for RFK Jr. said the North Carolina Election Board has infringed his rights by refusing his request to be taken off the ballot.
With a majority of Democrats, the North Carolina Election Board rejected his request due to the high cost entailed by reprinting already issued absentee ballots, adding that it is a complex and logistically demanding process. However, it suggested the board’s two Republican members may consider delaying deadlines for absentee ballots to accommodate the removal of RFK Jr.
Barring an intervention by the court, RFK Jr.’s name will appear on the November ballot in North Carolina. The lawsuit is part of RFK Jr.’s broader effort in trying to control RFK Jr.’s ballot access in other critical swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, where he thinks his presence might make a difference in the election outcome.
FAQs
1. Why is RFK Jr suing to take himself off the North Carolina ballot?
RFK Jr is suing because he has officially pulled out of the presidential contest as an independent candidate and thrown his support behind Donald Trump. He does not want his candidacy to help the Democrats in any way.
2. What is RFK Jr’s situation with regard to ballot access in other states?
RFK Jr also filed to have his name removed from ballots in other crucial, key swing states, such as Michigan and Wisconsin, for the sake of not diverting an outcome in the election.
3. What reasons did the North Carolina Election Board give for the denial of RFK Jr’s request?
The North Carolina Election Board denied the request on the basis that reprinting the absentee ballots already issued will be extremely expensive and cumbersome to manage.
4. How did the Republican members of the North Carolina Election Board react to RFK Jr’s request?
Two Republican members of the North Carolina Election Board extended what could be seen as an olive branch: Perhaps the state would delay absentee ballot deadlines to give the current ballot space for RFK Jr. being removed from the ballot.
5. What will happen should the court not intervene?
If the court takes no action, RFK Jr. will remain on the North Carolina ballot in the November election because his lawsuit was aimed at removing his name.
