Image credits - PBS
Advertisement
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his presidential campaign in August and endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump, has taken legal action to remove his name from the presidential ballot in Wisconsin. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in Dane County Circuit Court after the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted to keep him on the ballot despite his request for removal.
Kennedy’s lawsuit argues that the state’s treatment of third-party candidates is discriminatory compared to the process for major party candidates. Under Wisconsin law, Republicans and Democrats running for president have until 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday in September before an election to certify their nominees. However, independent candidates, like Kennedy, are bound by a much earlier deadline. They must withdraw before August 6 to be removed from the ballot, and Kennedy’s nomination papers were filed before that deadline.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission, adhering to this legal stipulation, voted 5-1 last week to keep Kennedy on the ballot. The commission’s decision allowed county election clerks to start printing ballots in time to meet state deadlines for mailing absentee ballots. Kennedy is challenging this decision, seeking a court order to prevent the commission from including his name on the ballot and to put a hold on their vote.
Kennedy’s legal challenge is not isolated. He has also filed a similar lawsuit in Michigan, where a judge ruled on Tuesday that he must remain on the ballot. A pending lawsuit in North Carolina seeks his removal from that state’s ballot.
Kennedy’s legal team argues that the inability to withdraw from the ballot after the nomination deadline creates an unfair disadvantage for independent candidates, who are effectively bound by different rules compared to those of the major parties.
The presence of independent and third-party candidates in Wisconsin is particularly significant. The state has been a battleground in recent elections, with four of the last six presidential contests decided by narrow margins. In 2016, Green Party candidate Jill Stein received just over 31,000 votes in Wisconsin, more than Donald Trump’s winning margin of under 23,000 votes. Some Democrats have attributed Trump’s narrow victory in Wisconsin that year to Stein’s candidacy.
Kennedy’s attempt to remove himself from the ballot underscores the complexity and strategic importance of third-party and independent candidacies in closely contested states. The outcome of his lawsuits could have implications for both his supporters and the broader electoral landscape in battleground states.