Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (File) A North Carolina judge announced on Thursday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s request
A North Carolina judge announced on Thursday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s request to be removed from the ballot in the state has been denied. Wake County Superior Court Judge Rebecca Waters Holt, however, granted Kennedy a 24-hour stay on ballot distribution to allow his legal team time to appeal the decision to the state’s Court of Appeals.
As a result of the ruling, the North Carolina State Board of Elections has ordered counties to temporarily pause their scheduled ballot distributions, which were set to begin on Friday. State Board of Elections general counsel Paul Cox informed counties to prepare for further updates, advising them not to send out ballots unless instructed otherwise.
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The board had previously voted on August 29 to deny Kennedy’s request for removal, citing the impracticality of removing his name from approximately 2 million ballots that had already been printed. Following the decision, Kennedy filed a lawsuit, arguing that keeping his name on the ballot infringed on his freedom of speech after he announced his withdrawal from the race on August 23.
Judge Holt ultimately ruled that removing Kennedy’s name would impose significant costs and logistical challenges on the state. Kennedy had initially secured a place on the ballot in July with the We The People Party but withdrew from the presidential race after the Democratic National Convention. In a press conference, Kennedy blamed “shadowy DNC operatives” for his difficulties in the campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
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Kennedy’s name has since been removed from ballots in four battleground states, though he remains on the ballot in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Further details from the court and the Board of Elections are expected to be released later.
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