COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kanye West, who is currently making an independent bid for the presidency, won't appear on the ballot in Ohio due to some irregularities involving his petition to run for office.
According to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, West and his running mate, Michelle Tidball, "failed to meet the requirements necessary to appear on the presidential ballot in Ohio for the Nov. 3, 2020 General Election."
Specifically, information and the signature on West's nominating petition and statement of candidacy didn't match up to the documents used to circulate part-petitions, LaRose said.
Click here to view West's nominating petition and declaration of candidacy forms.
In order to appear on the ballot, West would have had to file a "valid and sufficient joint nominating petition and statement of candidacy that complies with the law and at least 5,000 valid signatures from Ohio voters and a slate of 18 presidential electors," according to LaRose.
"A signature is the most basic form of authentication and an important, time-honored, security measure to ensure that a candidate aspires to be on the ballot and that a voter is being asked to sign a legitimate petition," LaRose said. "There is no doubt that the West nominating petition and declaration of candidacy failed to meet the necessary threshold for certification."
West likely won't appear on the ballots in enough states to even qualify for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. He's currently only listed on the ballot in Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah and Vermont, though his application is pending in several other states.
Earlier this week, election officials in Wisconsin ruled that West would not be eligible to appear on the ballot in that state after his campaign officials submitted paperwork moments after 5 p.m. deadline last week.
This story was originally published by Drew Scofield on WEWS in Cleveland.
