Kanye West reportedly has withdrawn his petition to be on the New Jersey presidential ballot after some signatures appeared too similar.
“At this time, Kanye 2020 has no further option than to regrettably withdraw from New Jersey and cease further efforts to place Mr. West’s name on the New Jersey ballot,” an email reportedly from the 43-year-old rapper’s campaign to Judge Gail Cookson read. It was obtained by the Associated Press in a piece published Tuesday. (RELATED: Kanye West Says He’s Focusing On The Music Following Bizarre Campaign Weekend)
Kanye West has is dropping an effort to get on the ballot in New Jersey as a presidential candidate, emails obtained by @AP show. The rapper’s petition to get on the ballot was challenged because it included many signatures that looked nearly identical, https://t.co/uzetKhvqIJ
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 4, 2020
“I will consider this email as a request for a withdrawal of your petition to be placed in nomination for the President of the United States in the State of New Jersey,” Cookson’s email response read. (RELATED: Kanye Fails To Get On Presidential Ballot In South Carolina As Family And Friends Reportedly Worry About Him)
It comes after the rapper’s petition he submitted to be on the 2020 ballot came under scrutiny by election lawyer Scott Salmon because some appeared to be written in similar handwritting, per the outlet. The email was reportedly sent hours before a hearing on the validity of the petition was to take place, per NJ.com.
“I am glad that the Kanye campaign has realized that their petition was so deficient that it wasn’t even worth defending,” Salmon said in a phone interview with the Associated Press. “It sort of highlights the fact that it shouldn’t have been submitted in the first place.”
As previously reported, West is on the ballot in Oklahoma, but failed to get on the one in South Carolina and Kansas. He also has submitted signatures in Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas for the upcoming presidential election.