August 3 at noon was the Arkansas deadline for independent presidential candidates, and the presidential nominees of unqualified parties. According to this story, Kanye West submitted his petition only 45 minutes before the deadline. The requirement is 1,000 signatures.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Talk about cutting it close.
He’s likely on in West Virginia: https://www.wdtv.com/2020/08/03/kanye-west-files-paperwork-to-appear-on-presidential-ballot-in-west-virginia/
BTW, West Virginia extended their deadline at the last minute to midnight yesterday. For at least the past dozen years that I have been involved with petitioning here, it has been 5:00 pm close of business. Marshall Wilson, who is running as an independent for governor, got a surprise call on that from the WVSOS office.
Is Kanye West hiring petitioners away from other candidates?
The bigger question is why he’s only getting on the ballots in states where there’s zero chance of impacting an actual outcome.
David Valente LPWV chair to LNC:
There are reports Kanye turned in 15k sigs in WV, he needed 7300. However it seems suspect as this appears to have been accomplished in less that 2 weeks and no one has seen his petition gatherers except on Monday in Charleston. I am thinking all 15k were just Kanye West’s name over & over again.
LNC chair Joe Bishop-Henchman replied
His petition in NJ submitted 1300 signatures (800 required) but after someone challenged it, he withdrew it rather than defend it.
The AP explains: “The New Jersey petition showed a number of signatures looked nearly identical, including lower-case i’s dotted with a small circle. Some signatures lacked complete addresses.”
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/04/kanye-west-withdraws-petition-get-njs-2020-ballot/3289922001/
That’s what happens when you hire unscrupulous mercenary petitioners.
Other campaigns seem to manage it without these problems.