A court in Pennsylvania has ruled that independent presidential candidate Cornel West will not be able to appear on the presidential ballot in the state. This decision is significant as Pennsylvania is a key battleground state that plays a crucial role in determining the outcome of the 2024 election.
Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer, in a 15-page ruling, sided with the Secretary of State’s office under Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, rejecting West’s candidacy paperwork. The Secretary of State’s office argued that West and his running mate, activist Melina Abdullah, did not have the required affidavits for 14 out of West’s 19 presidential electors. The court agreed with this argument.
Jubelirer, who is a Republican, also agreed with the Secretary of State’s office that minor-party presidential electors should be considered candidates for office and must file affidavits, even if major-party presidential electors are exempt from this requirement.
The court ruled that Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State office is obligated to certify the ballot in time for county boards to print and mail absentee ballots to military electors serving overseas or in isolated areas at least 70 days prior to a general election. If West had been allowed on the ballot, it would have made it nearly impossible for these processes to be completed within those timeframes.
Due to these reasons and others, the court found that West ”failed to exercise due diligence” and therefore barred him from appearing on the ballot.
West’s lawyer Matthew Haverstick expressed his disagreement with this decision and stated that he saw no good reason for keeping West off the ballot or preventing Pennsylvanians from voting for him. It remains unclear whether an appeal will be filed against this ruling.
In another development related to independent candidates withdrawing from Pennsylvania’s ballot, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also an independent candidate, informed the court through a filing that he will withdraw from Pennsylvania’s ballot as well. Kennedy announced his suspension of his presidential bid during a speech in Phoenix where he expressed support for former President Donald Trump and revealed plans to remain on ballots in states where he is unlikely to influence outcomes.
The Green Party’s Jill Stein and Libertarian Party’s Chase Oliver were able to submit petitions without facing any challenges while Claudia De la Cruz from Party for Socialism and Liberation intends to appeal against a judge’s decision ordering her off Pennsylvania’s ballot.
Pennsylvania is expected to have a close election on November 5th according Cook Political Report which rates it as “toss up” between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris representing Democrat Party. Some polls suggest that both Cornel West and Jill Stein could potentially draw votes away from Democrats due their focus on ending conflict between Israel and Hamas terrorist group.
However, despite being denied access onto Pennsylvania’s ballot by this recent ruling , Cornel West achieved legal victory last week when Michigan judge ruled he must appear on their state’s electoral list . Michigan also holds significance as another potential battleground state with its 15 electoral votes at stake which was rated “toss up” by Cook Political Report .
West celebrated this win by stating “Victory in Michigan! We brought thousands of voices…This is win democracy…Onward!” via social media platform X .
It should be noted The Associated Press contributed information used within article