Kanye West To Appear On Presidential Ballot In Iowa, Now Will Be On 12 State’s Ballots

Rapper Kanye West will remain on the Iowa ballot as a presidential candidate on Election Day after state officials cleared challenges to his candidacy.

West will appear on 12 state election ballots on Election Day –– Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Vermont, Mississippi, Louisiana, Utah, Kentucky, Iowa, Tennessee, Minnesota and Idaho.

A unanimous three-person statewide panel ruled to approve the paperwork requirements for West. It also motioned to amend disparities in his voter and party registration status. The officials dodged  two critical challenges, which previously prevented West from getting on the ballot in other U.S. states.

On August 31, Iowa officials had pointed out that West was running as a “no-party” candidate, but he was registered in Wyoming, his home state, as a Republican. They also signaled that West had missed a critical paperwork deadline.

The panel that cleared West includes Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate, Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller and Democratic Iowa Auditor Rob Sand.

“I voted to dismiss the objections to Kanye’s candidacy because, in my view of the law, he had legally qualified for the ballot. While some people may think his candidacy is not a serious one and is for the sole purpose of hurting former Vice President Joe Biden‘s chances in November, politics is not a part of this question,” Sand said in a press release about the panel’s decision.

“This was an official action, in my official office. The law rules and I’m glad the outcome was determined by law rather than partisanship,” Sand continued.

Eight other candidates are expected to appear on the ballot alongside the rapper.

West has missed filing deadlines in more than two dozen states, and as a result, will not appear on a sufficient number of states that are needed to win the Electoral College majority.

U.S. Presidential election candidates require the majority of 270 of 538 total electoral voters to win. If no candidate receives the majority 270 votes, the U.S. House of Representatives selects the president.

Article by Emily Bevacqua