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Listen, Kanye West announced Saturday, July 4th, that he is running for President of the United States. It’s unclear if West is trying to join the 2020 election or a future election but just in case he is talking about the 2020 election, here’s what we know:
- West would have to register as an independent in several states if he wants to make his way to the ballot in November since he is unlikely to unseat Trump as the Republican Party nominee or former Vice President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee.
- West would have no other choice but to run as an independent but that comes with its own requirements, according to Ballotpedia.
“Generally speaking, an independent presidential candidate must petition for placement on the general election ballot in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. A handful of states may allow an independent candidate to pay a filing fee in lieu of submitting a petition. The methods for calculating how many signatures are required vary from state to state, as do the actual signature requirements. For instance, some states establish a flat signature requirement. Other states calculate signature requirements as percentages of voter registration or votes cast for a given office.”
- West wouldn’t be able to register in Texas, New York, or Illinois, which are “three of the top six in terms of electoral college votes.
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West could also be a write-in. However, according to Ballotpedia, 33 states “require a write-in presidential candidate to file some paperwork in advance of an election. In nine states, write-in voting for presidential candidates is not permitted. The remaining states do not require presidential write-in candidates to file special paperwork before the election.”
If West does run and register in the available states, he could impact the 2020 election, and that could mean taking votes from either Trump or Biden.
West tweeted: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.”
We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ??! #2020VISION
— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
Do you think Kanye stands a chance at being the next President of the United States of America?