Swing State Supreme Court Hands Trump and RFK Jr. a Crucial Win in Ballot Battle
On Monday, North Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled that state election officials must reprint presidential ballots and remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name.
Initially planning to run as a third-party candidate, Kennedy has instead thrown his support behind former President Donald Trump.
Kennedy is now seeking to have his name removed from states where he had previously secured ballot access, aiming to avoid offering an alternative for voters hesitant to support Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, theoretically benefiting Trump’s chances.
According to ABC, Kennedy’s name has already been removed from the ballots in 10 other states, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and South Carolina.
Though Kennedy will still appear on ballots in about 30 states, swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan have resisted allowing his name to be withdrawn. Kennedy filed an appeal in Wisconsin on Monday in an effort to remove his name from the ballot, according to WisPolitics.
However, NBC reported that Michigan’s final ruling kept Kennedy on the ballot, contrasting with North Carolina’s decision.
The 4-3 decision by the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld an appeals court’s ruling, overturning a lower court’s decision. Justice Trey Allen, writing for the majority, acknowledged the burden on state officials in reprinting ballots but stated, “That is a price the North Carolina Constitution expects us to incur to protect voters’ fundamental right to vote their conscience and have that vote count.”
The court noted that leaving Kennedy on the ballot could mislead voters who might mistakenly believe he is still a candidate, which could potentially disenfranchise them.
This decision has affected the state’s election timeline. North Carolina originally planned to mail out ballots on Sept. 6, but this process was delayed as the Kennedy case worked its way through the courts.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Supreme Court denied Kennedy’s request to be removed from the ballot, saying he “has not shown an entitlement to this extraordinary relief,” according to the Associated Press.
Aaron Siri, Kennedy’s attorney, criticized the ruling, telling Politico, “This plainly has nothing to do with ballot or election integrity.” He argued that Michigan’s decision, in a state controlled by Democratic leaders, aims to deceive voters into wasting their votes on a candidate who has withdrawn.
Two Republican-nominated justices dissented, expressing concern over potential national implications from the court’s decision.