The request comes days after Kennedy suspended his presidential bid and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump. Officials are scheduled to vote on the request Thursday.<\/b>
\nThe We The People Party is asking state officials to remove its nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., from North Carolina ballots.
The party on Wednesday requested that Kennedy and running mate Nicole Shanahan be taken off state ballots. The state board of elections is scheduled to vote on the request during a special meeting on Thursday.
The request comes days after Kennedy suspended his presidential bid and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump. It also follows a protracted battle between the party and state elections officials, who delayed his access to ballots.
The question now is whether Kennedy will actually appear on some ballots \u2014 even if the party\u2019s request is granted. Most of the state’s 100 counties have begun printing ballots, according to the State Board of Elections. North Carolinians can begin mail-in voting on Sept. 6.
It was unclear Wednesday whether counties would have the resources to redesign, proof and print new ballots. The state board is gathering details on the feasibility of new ballots, according to State Board of Elections spokesman Pat Gannon.
In addition to Kennedy, Republican former President Donald Trump, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, Cornel West of the Justice For All Party, Randall Terry of the Constitution Party, Libertarian Chase Oliver and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are currently on the presidential ballot in North Carolina.
The state’s Democratic Party sued the state board in July to try and keep Kennedy off the ballot, but a judge ruled earlier in August that Kennedy could remain.
It requires far fewer signatures for a party to gain ballot access in North Carolina than for an individual, which informed Kennedy’s path in the state.
Polling shows Kennedy was unlikely to make a huge difference in North Carolina, pulling support from Harris and Trump alike. But in a state where presidential elections are often decided on razor-thin margins \u2014 Trump won North Carolina by just over 1% of the vote in 2020 \u2014 even small shifts can be important.
Polls differ on how exactly Kennedy’s presence on the ballot would impact Trump and Harris.
A Focaldata poll earlier this month found an even tie between Trump and Harris if voters had only those choices, but Harris leading Trump by 3% of the vote if third-party candidates were also included. Kennedy got more votes than the rest of the third-party candidates combined, appearing to draw mostly from voters who’d otherwise support Trump.
A New York Times\/Sienna College poll in mid-August found Harris leading Trump by 3 points in North Carolina in a head-to-head matchup, and also leading by 3 points if Kennedy and other third-party candidates were included.
In some recent high-quality polls, Kennedy was found to be drawing more votes from Harris than from Trump, according to The New York Times.
In early August, the Cook Political Report found Harris up by 2 points on Trump, if Kennedy were on the ballot, but leading by just 1% in a matchup of only Trump and Harris.<\/p>\n