Rapper and billionaire Kanye West is suing the Ohio Secretary of State in an effort to be placed on the November presidential ballot, after he denied West's petition to be an independent candidate.
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced last Friday that West's campaign "failed to meet the necessary threshold for certification" due to mismatched information on his candidacy paperwork. An attorney representing West submitted nearly 15,000 signatures on his behalf.
"Based on a review of the documents submitted by the West campaign, both the information and a signature on the original nominating petition and statement of candidacy submitted to the Secretary’s office do not match that of the nominating petition and statement of candidacy that was used to circulate part-petitions," LaRose said in a press release.
West’s emergency filing alleges that it is LaRose’s duty to accept any petition for an independent candidate as long as there is no protest filed against the petition and it is not in violation of Ohio statue.
On Wednesday, West qualified for the ballot in Tennessee with running mate Michelle Tidball, a 57-year-old spiritual coach from Wyoming. West and Tidball have also qualified in Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Oklahoma and Utah, while getting barred from the ballot in Missouri, Wisconsin, West Virginia and several other states.
