Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina election board in an attempt to have his name removed from the 2024 presidential election ballot. After dropping out of the race and endorsing former President Donald Trump, Kennedy filed the suit in Wake County Superior Court, arguing that the board’s refusal to remove him from the ballot violated state election law and his freedom of speech. Despite his efforts to get off North Carolina’s ballot, Kennedy’s lawyer also sought to restore his place on New York’s ballot after questions arose about his residency in the state.
Kennedy, who could have put his residence as anywhere, faced a tough battle to keep his name on the New York ballot before ultimately being barred from appearing on it shortly before announcing his withdrawal from the race. He also submitted his candidate filing in Oregon but is withdrawing his name from other anticipated battleground states like Maine. Despite the Democrats on the North Carolina board outvoting the Republicans to reject Kennedy’s request to be removed from the ballot, he has consistently been polling at around 3% in the state.
The North Carolina board’s Democrats rejected Kennedy’s request to be removed from the ballot with a 3-2 vote, citing the state’s statutory deadline of September 6 and the financial burden of reprinting ballots. Nearly 1.7 million ballots have already been printed in 67 of the state’s 100 counties and are set to be sent out by the deadline. The Democrats on the board expressed frustration with Kennedy’s decision to drop out of the race and his attempt to have his name removed from the ballot, labeling the situation a farce.
The Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Elections, Karen Brinson Bell, stated that reprinting the ballots would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Despite Kennedy’s low polling numbers in North Carolina and his efforts to be removed from certain state ballots, he is still pursuing legal action to have his name withdrawn from the election. Kennedy’s lawyer previously argued that his residency should not impact his ability to be listed on the ballot, but ultimately he has faced challenges in multiple states in his bid for the presidency.
Kennedy’s legal battles to have his name removed from various state ballots come after he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed former President Donald Trump. The situation has highlighted the complexities and challenges of the election process, as candidates navigate legal requirements, political party rules, and voter expectations. With the election only a few months away, Kennedy is working to ensure that his name is not included on ballots where he no longer wishes to be a candidate, despite the obstacles he has faced in doing so.
