Illinois elections board says Kanye West short of necessary signatures to get on ballot

Kanye West fell short of receiving the number of valid signatures needed to qualify as an independent presidential candidate on the Illinois ballot, local outlet WWTW reports.

West reportedly fell short by 1,300 signatures. The state requires 2,500 signatures to make the ballot, however, the state hearing officer found only 1,200 of West’s signatures were valid.

Sean Tenner, a Democratic committeeperson in Illinois, told WWTW that he challenged West’s petitions over the rapper’s comments last month that Harriet Tubman “never actually freed the slaves” and had them “go work for other white people.”

“Celebrity or not, everyone has to follow the rules,” Tenner told WWTW. “He didn’t come close.”

Normally, the required number of signatures to qualify is 25,000, but a federal judge had reduced it to 2,500 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

West has made a last-minute bid for president, announcing on July 4 that he was launching a campaign. He has since launched petitions to get onto several states’ primary ballots. 

He has missed the deadline to file for several states including Texas, Michigan and Florida. The rapper has qualified for the Colorado ballot and filed to be on the Ohio ballot. He previously qualified for New Jersey, but withdrew his petition after being accused of election fraud.