Kanye West files to appear on Kentucky, Mississippi ballots

Kayne West on Friday filed to appear on Kentucky’s ballot as an independent presidential candidate, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams on Friday tweeted a photo of West’s application, and later tweeted that his staff is “diligently reviewing this filing, including an estimated 19,000 petition signatures, to determine whether Mr. West has qualified to appear.”

Yep. pic.twitter.com/YyCP7QxqjL

— KY Sec. of State Michael Adams (@KYSecState) September 4, 2020

Our staff are diligently reviewing this filing, including an estimated 19,000 petition signatures, to determine whether Mr. West has qualified to appear. https://t.co/Z1OiVLuKXx

— KY Sec. of State Michael Adams (@KYSecState) September 4, 2020

West on Friday also filed paperwork to get on Mississippi’s ballot, according to Secretary of State Michael Watson, who will meet with Gov. Tate Reeves (R) and Attorney General Lynn Fitch on Tuesday to rule on West’s qualifications, local CBS affiliate WJTV reported.

West, who launched his presidential campaign on July 4, has met the requirements to get his name on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont. He failed to make the ballot in Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Virginia and Wyoming. He is suing to get on the ballot in Wisconsin and West Virginia. 

A judge on Thursday barred West from appearing on Arizona’s ballot after a resident filed a lawsuit alleging that the rapper’s inclusion on the ballot would cause “harm” because people could throw “away a vote on a disqualified candidate.”

West has previously supported President Trump, and the president said in July it “shouldn’t be hard” for West to take Black votes from Biden.

Alicia Cohn contributed.