The Supreme Court of Virginia has denied Kanye West’s appeal of Richmond Circuit Court Judge Joi J. Taylor’s Sept. 3 ruling that removed West from Virginia’s ballots for November’s election.
The ruling means the entertainment mogul will not be included on Virginia’s ballots in the election this fall.
Taylor, in granting a temporary injunction in a suit that sought to have West removed from the Virginia presidential ballot, found that elector oaths submitted on behalf of West “were obtained by improper, fraudulent and/or misleading means, or are otherwise invalid because of notarial violations and misconduct, and, therefore, do not count toward the statutorily required minimum to qualify the petition.”
West’s attorneys filed a motion for expedited consideration on Sept. 9.
Attorney General Mark Herring filed a response arguing that time is of the essence in this case because of ballot printing deadlines, noting that attorneys for West “did not appeal for five days and did not seek to stay for six days,” and within that time period “all of the ballots that have been finalized since the circuit court’s decision have omitted petition West’s name from the list of eligible candidates.”
The original goal for finalizing the ballot was Sept. 4.
“I’m pleased the Supreme Court of Virginia agreed with me today and denied Kanye West’s appeal,” Attorney General Mark Herring said. “This case could have thrown the election into chaos, drastically changing the ballot and potentially disenfranchising tens of thousands of Virginians during an election that has brought challenges like none we have ever dealt with before. Today’s ruling will keep things on track and help to ensure that every single vote is counted in November.”
Story by Chris Graham
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