Judge bars Kanye West from appearing on Arizona ballot

Kanye West will not appear on the ballot in Arizona this November, a judge ruled Thursday.

An Arizona resident, Rasean Clayton, filed a lawsuit Monday asking the court to bar West from the state’s Nov. 3 ballot.

The lawsuit argued that independent presidential candidates can only appear on Arizona’s ballot if they aren’t registered with a recognized political party. West is a registered Republican in Wyoming, although most strategists speculate that in this race he could siphon votes from Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

West has previously supported President Trump and the president said in July it “shouldn’t be hard” for West to take Black votes from Biden.

The Arizona lawsuit argued that putting West on the ballot would cause “harm” because people could throw “away a vote on a disqualified candidate.” The judge found that argument persuasive and ruled to bar West from the ballot.

The suit also questioned the validity of West’s designated electors, an issue similar to the one that got West thrown off the Virginia ballot on Thursday.

West, who launched his presidential campaign on July 4, has met the requirements to get his name on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont. He failed to make the ballot in Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Virginia and Wyoming. He is suing to get on the ballot in Wisconsin and West Virginia. 

He has so far failed to file campaign finance forms with the Federal Election Commission, the last of which was due Aug. 20.