Kanye West Will Not Appear on Wisconsin's Presidential Ballot

In a vote of 5-1, the Wisconsin Elections Commission ruled the Independent candidate failed to file the proper paperwork before the Aug. 5 deadline.

August 21, 2020

Another day, another blow to the Kanye West presidential campaign.

Politico reports Wisconsin officials have denied ballot access to the Independent candidate and his running mate Michelle Tidball. In a vote of 5-1, the Wisconsin Elections Commission ruled Kanye had failed to file the necessary paperwork before the 5 p.m. Aug. 4 deadline, which the campaign reportedly missed by 2 minutes.

The decision was announced just days after panel staff recommended the "Birthday Party" candidate be kept off the swing state's ballot.

"When you’re late, you're late," Commissioner Julie Glancey said during the Thursday hearing. "We’ve knocked people off the ballot for being one signature short. If we are holding their feet to the fire on the number of signatures, we need to hold their feet to the fire on the time they file."

The panel is made up of three registered Democrats and three registered Republicans. The only person who voted in Kanye's favor was part of the latter party. In the weeks since the entertainer announced his candidacy, many have accused him of trying to run a spoiler campaign to benefit Donald Trump's re-election. The president has denied any involvement in Kanye's campaign; however, the New York Times reported there were a number of GOP operatives who were aiding Kanye's efforts to secure ballot access in various states.

Mark Jefferson, the executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, criticized the WEC in a statement published by FOX6.

Wisconsin Democrats also challenged Kanye's petition by claiming some of his submitted signatures were fake. According to documents obtained by TMZ, Kanye responded to the complaint by accusing Wisconsin Dems of spying on his team as part of an "organized effort of harassment and intimidation."