• “Birthday Party,” was reportedly minutes late
• Building was locked due to COVID-19 regulations

Election Commission votes to keep Kanye West off presidential ballot

Washington : In a bipartisan Thursday vote, Wisconsin election commission officials blocks Kanye West from the state’s presidential ballot as he struggles to make enough ballots for the Nov.3 election.
West campaign attorney, Michael Curran, argued that the West workers enter the Commission’s building on time. He further adds that the workers didn’t enter the commission’s building until 14 seconds past 5 p.m. on Aug. 5. Since the commission staff accepted the papers it means constituting a timely filing.

Earlier this month, a group of voters filed a complaint with the state Elections Commission. They alleged that West campaign workers missed the 5 p.m. filing deadline. Aug. 4 was the last date for independent presidential candidates to submit the required 2,000 signatures from Wisconsin voters to get on the ballot.
Kanye West, who is running as an Independent was reportedly minutes late on a presidential ticket. The rapper has deemed the “Birthday Party,” in submitting his 2,422 signatures.

Commission staffer Cody Davies explained to the panel that the building was locked due to the COVID-19 regulations. He told the commission panel that he received a call from a West staffer at 4:57 p.m. to say they were just three minutes away. Cody was waiting in the lobby to let filers in as 5 p.m. approached. He said he let them in 14 seconds after 5 p.m. He adds that, he even, accompanied them on the elevator ride up to the commission’s offices.

Wisconsin’s Election Commission votes 5-1, to block west off the Presidential ballot. The Commission is three to three, Democrat and Republican. The Commission found that West was “in-eligible” to join the state’s ballot Thursday.

Wisconsin, a contentious battleground between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.

Commissioner Robert Spindell was the only official to vote in favor of putting West on the ballot. The Republican representative pushed the panel to give West, the benefit of doubt. He did it on the ground that the pandemic has made life more difficult. He further adds that, West’s supporters could have made it to the commission in time if the building doors was unlocked. He adds Democrats are “unfairly” trying to keep a Black candidate off the ballot.

While Spindell demanded “Black voters should have choice.”, the other five commissioners said that the deadline of 5 p.m. needs to be followed, not 5:00:14.

“This is one of the closest call cases I’ve seen but consistency requires me to treat all candidates the same, regardless of their party or their color or any other characteristics,” Republican Commissioner Dean Knduson reportedly said. “I think the complainants have evidence that he was late.”, he further added.

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Wisconsin : a swing state

The Trump administration visited the Wisconsin state three times in a week alone. Trump narrowly won Wisconsin during the 2016 presidential race with 47.9 percent of the vote.

Former state’s Vice President Joe Biden also chose to have the convention held virtually, because of coronavirus pandemic. Biden gave his speeches Live from his home state of Delaware.