North Carolina has joined the ranks of battleground states in refusing to allow Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to withdraw his name from the presidential ballot, despite his departure from the 2024 race last week.
During a press conference in Phoenix on Friday, Robert Kennedy Jr. announced the suspension of his presidential campaign and his endorsement of President Trump.
Kennedy stated that he plans to remain on the ballot in states where his presence would negatively impact Kamala Harris, while removing himself from ballots in states where his presence would hurt Trump.
“In about 10 battleground states, where my presence would be a spoiler, I’m going to remove my name. And I’ve already started that process and urge voters not to vote for me,” RFK Jr. emphasized.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections made the decision on Thursday to keep RFK Jr. on the 2024 ballot, indicating that votes cast for him in North Carolina will not be counted due to his campaign suspension.
WBTV reported:
Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will remain on the ballot for North Carolina’s general election, the state decided Thursday.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections on Thursday, Aug. 29 voted in favor of keeping Kennedy on the ballot, despite his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. Third-party candidate Kennedy suspended his presidential campaign on Friday, Aug. 23.
Kennedy’s name will appear on the ballot in November for North Carolina voters, who can technically still vote for him. Those votes won’t count, however, since Kennedy has withdrawn from the race.
Typically, if a candidate drops out of a race with enough time before an election, their name won’t get included on the ballot. Kennedy, however, suspended his campaign just before voting begins in North Carolina, creating a too-tight deadline for County Boards of Elections — of which many had already begun printing ballots for the election.
According to Karen Brinson, executive director of the state’s elections board, North Carolina had already printed about 1.73 million ballots as of Thursday in more than 60 counties. Special ballots, for example, such as for those overseas in the military or those with vision problems, were already being prepared.
To reprint and redistribute ballots without Kennedy’s name would take at least 13 days, according to Brinson. The process would reportedly require reproofing the entire ballot, which involves the state and county boards. Reprinting would also cost more money, the board said.
Despite suspending his campaign, RFK Jr. will continue to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot in Michigan and Wisconsin.
This is due to the fact that a majority of RFK Jr. voters are now supporting President Trump, leading to Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina choosing to keep Kennedy on the ballot in these pivotal battleground states.
🚨RFK Jr. voters move overwhelmingly to President Trump!🚨 pic.twitter.com/b3oNacppkW
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) August 23, 2024
