Gospel rapper and fashion mogul Kanye West has filed an emergency lawsuit against the State of Ohio after being rejected for the Buckeye State’s presidential election ballot.
West’s campaign representatives filed the candidate’s paperwork early this month but were told by Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office that it had rejected his filing of 15,000 signatures, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
In the filing, West’s attorneys said that state election law shows that Ohio had no basis for rejecting the candidate’s filing and that the state is obligated to accept any independent filing if there are no official objections recorded.
West’s nascent campaign for president has faced many problems gaining access to ballots across the country. The Jesus Is King rapper missed filing deadlines or was rejected in a group of states, including California, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
In Illinois, West’s filing was rejected because he did not have enough valid signatures on his nomination petitions. The rejection came after a Chicago politician challenged West’s petitions and a subsequent review of signatures found that many were invalid.
Wisconsin also rejected West’s filing after a 5-1 vote by the state’s bipartisan election commission. The commissioners rejected West’s filing because his campaign officials missed a 5 p.m. filing deadline by one minute. Early this month, billionaire Grammy-winner pulled his filing in New Jersey without offering an explanation.
Kanye West has made some state ballots, though. He will appear on the ballot in states including Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, and Vermont.
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