Wisconsin Rules Against Kanye West's Bid to Get on State Ballot

Kanye West's presidential bid has run into another roadblock. 

Per Newsweek, a judge rejected West's appeal to be placed on the Wisconsin ballot. The rapper and his team filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission when it refused to allow 'Ye on the ballot after he missed the Aug. 4, 5 p.m. deadline. Although West's papers were submitted just 14 seconds after the deadline expired, Brown County Circuit Court Judge John Zakowski isn't budging. 

"The court believes at the time a grandfather clock rings out five times is the moment it is 5 p.m. Any time after that is precisely that: after 5 p.m.," Zakowski said. 

West and his lawyers rebutted by claiming that state officials hindered his campaign by locking the building's door. They also stated that West should have until 59 seconds after 5 p.m. to turn in the papers until it's late. The court replied to this by using the concept of midnight as an analogy.

"The court used the analogy of midnight. There is a significant difference between 11:59:59 p.m. and one second after midnight," the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported. "The passage of a second after midnight confers an entirely new day."

Per the Associated Press, West is likely to take this decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Wisconsin is a swing state which President Trump narrowly won in 2016. Like the last election, polls are predicted to be tight, so this ruling could be consequential to the race's outcome.