Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is suing the North Carolina State Board of Elections to have his name removed from the state’s ballot before the 2024 presidential election.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Wake County Superior Court, claims that the board’s refusal to remove his name as a third-party presidential candidate violates state election law and his right to free speech.
With the November election approaching and ballot deadlines near, Kennedy has no choice but to seek immediate relief from the court, the lawsuit states.
After suspending his campaign and endorsing former President Donald Trump in August, Kennedy has tried to withdraw his name in states like North Carolina, where the race could be tight.
However, he has chosen to remain on the ballot in states like New York, where his candidacy is less likely to influence the outcome between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Unless the court intervenes, Kennedy’s name will appear on the North Carolina ballot in November.
On Thursday, the North Carolina board, with three Democrats outvoting two Republicans, decided to keep Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, on the ballot under the We The People party line.
The Democratic majority argued that it was too late to remove his name since 67 of the state’s 100 counties had already started printing ballots, which must be sent out by Sept. 6. The main vendor for most counties has already printed over 1.7 million ballots, and reprinting them would be costly, said Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell.
When we talk about printing a ballot, we are not just pressing copy on a Xerox machine. It’s a much more complex and layered process, Brinson Bell told the board.
The two Republicans on the board disagreed, arguing that the board could delay the statutory deadline for absentee ballots.
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