By Ellis Appel (The Center Square)
A judge on Thursday denied Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s request to be removed from the North Carolina ballot.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Rebecca Waters Holt granted Kennedy a 24-hour delay in delivering the ballots, giving his defense team time to appeal the decision to the state Court of Appeals.
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The decision prompted the North Carolina Board of Elections to order counties to temporarily suspend distribution of ballots, which had been scheduled to begin Friday.
“Unless you hear otherwise from the State Board of Elections, be prepared not to mail in your ballots tomorrow morning,” Paul Cox, general counsel for the state Board of Elections, said in a statement to counties.
Cox said the county should “stay tuned” for more information.
“The bottom line is, plan to not mail your ballot tomorrow morning, but be prepared in case circumstances change and you need to mail your ballot later tomorrow,” he said.
All this happens after the board meeting. Voted by a narrow margin On August 29, he opposed Kennedy’s request to be excluded from the vote.
Board Members claimed It was “unrealistic” to keep him off the ballot, especially given “there are approximately 2 million ballots across the state.” [that] “Kennedy’s name is already printed.”
In light of that decision, Kennedy’s case against the Board is as follows: Fifth lawsuit He filed suit against the board in just 40 days, ending a summer of controversy.
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Kennedy said in the lawsuit that not removing him would interfere with his free speech. He announced his resignation on August 23, and the board did not vote until August 29. His lawsuit was filed the next day.
Holt joined the board’s majority in ruling that it would be “substantial expense and effort” for North Carolina to keep Kennedy off the ballot.
Kennedy was initially denied access to the ballot by the board, but was later granted access to the ballot on July 16 as a member of the National Party.
Kennedy decided to remove his name from the ballot after deciding to suspend his presidential campaign on August 23, less than 24 hours after the Democratic National Convention ended. In a press conference, he blamed “dark DNC operatives” for all manner of interference with his campaign’s access to the ballot and announced his support for former President Donald Trump.
Since then, Kennedy’s name has been removed from the ballot. Four out of seven While he’s competing in the key states that have been agreed upon, he’s still on the ballot in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Both the board and the court plan to release more details and information about the decision and its implications later Thursday.
Jointly published with permission At Center Square.
