Kanye West's name will not appear on the presidential ballot in Wisconsin, because his team submitted petitions after the 5 p.m. deadline on 4 August, ruled Wisconsin Elections Commission. The commission consisting of three Republicans and three Democrats voted 5-1 in favour of keeping West off the ballot.
West's attorney Lane Ruhland previously argued that he arrived at the election office with the said petitions a few "seconds" after 5 p.m., but the commission was adamant that rules were violated.
"When you're late, you're late. We've knocked people off the ballot for being one signature short. If we are holding their feet to the fire on the number of signatures, we need to hold their feet to the fire on the time they file", said Democratic Commissioner Julie Glancey.
The commission's decision was criticised by Mark Jefferson, the executive director of the Wisconsin Republican Party, who accused the left of attempting to clear "any liberal competition for Democrats". "Democrats are only interested in voter enfranchisement if they believe they will benefit. If they don't benefit, they don't care", Jefferson said.
According to TMZ, Kanye West accused Democrats of spying on his campaign, which the musician claimed is part of an "organised effort of harassment and intimidation" against his candidacy. Democrats, in turn, accuse the musician of being a Trump proxy, trying to steal black votes from Democrat Joe Biden, Trump’s rival in the November elections.
Kanye West's late decision to run for president means that he's missed deadlines to appear on the ballot in several states. So far he has been given the green light in five states – Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, and Vermont.
He is now facing a battle in his home state of Illinois where election officials claim he submitted 1,200 invalid petitions in support of his candidacy. West's team are trying to prove the signatures are valid.
