The Idaho Democratic Party and a pair of Idaho voters are suing to have rapper and presidential candidate Kanye West removed from the state’s presidential ballot.
The plaintiffs filed suit in the 4th District Court against West and Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, claiming that West is ineligible to appear on the ballot since he is registered as a Republican in Wyoming, Idaho Press reported.
“This case is about upholding the integrity of our elections,” Attorney Carl Withroe said. “A candidate who is not eligible for the ballot appearing on some or all of the ballots Idaho voters were use this November will cause confusion, and that is not helpful.”
Reporter Ben Jacobs tweeted that the lawsuit marks the “first time a state Democratic Party has explicitly tried to boot West from the ballot.”
This Idaho lawsuit to remove Kanye West from the ballot in the state has the Idaho Democratic Party listed as plaintiff. It’s the first time a state Democratic Party has explicitly tried to boot West from the ballot. https://t.co/dgCp3wPIPO
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) September 11, 2020
Withroe reportedly dismissed a question about a 2008 Idaho Supreme Court case, which West’s campaign attorneys have cited, that found former Secretary of State Ben Ysursa did not have authority to remove an independent Senate candidate from the ballot.
“The party has an interest in the integrity of Idaho elections,” the complaint reportedly reads. “It is concerned that a candidate on the ballot who is not eligible to be on the ballot will almost certainly cause confusion among voters for the office of president. … The Idaho Democratic Party is also concerned that votes for an ineligible candidate will dilute the voting power of Democratic voters, which will result in votes being effectively wasted, effectively disenfranchising voters.”
The lawsuit asks for a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order that would remove West’s name from the ballot, and for the rapper to be declared ineligible, according to Idaho Press, which also posted the documents online. (RELATED: Kanye West Calls Assumption That The Black Vote Is Democratic ‘A Form Of Racism And White Supremacy’)
After failing to get on the ballot in Arizona this week, West is set to appear on the ballot in 11 other states besides Idaho, including Colorado, Minnesota, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Vermont, Mississippi, Utah, Louisiana, Kentucky, Iowa and Tennessee. It is unclear how much of an impact, if any, West will have in battleground states like Idaho, Colorado, and Minnesota.
