Kanye West sues to get on Wisconsin ballot after being rejected

Rapper Kanye West is suing the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) to get his name on the presidential ballot in the state this fall. 

West’s lawsuit, filed in Brown County, is asking the local court there to rule that his nominating papers were submitted on time and to ensure that he and his running mate, Michelle Tidwell, appear on the ballot in November.

The WEC voted by a 5-1 margin last week to turn away the rapper’s petition after he missed the deadline to file his papers to appear on Wisconsin’s presidential ballot by mere minutes.

The focus of the lawsuit is over the meaning of the WEC’s 5 p.m. deadline; the WEC says no petitions may be submitted on the due date a second after the time, though Wests lawyers are arguing that the deadline expires actually expires at 5:01 p.m. The WEC determined that West’s submission came in at 14 seconds after 5 p.m.

West’s campaign, which is reportedly being aided by GOP strategists, has already secured spots on the presidential ballot in a number of states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah and Vermont. 

West is a former supporter of President Trump and famously visited the White House in 2018. West said in an interview earlier this month that he is “not denying” that his campaign could do damage to former Vice President Joe Biden’s White House bid. 

Though polls have shown West with paltry support, Wisconsin is set to be one of the most competitive swing states in the country that could be decided by the narrowest of margins. Trump won the Badger State over Hillary Clinton by just over 20,000 votes in 2016.