Vote delayed on Kennedy and West campaigns, but a new party will be on the NC ballot
A right-wing political party will be able to run candidates in North Carolina’s November elections — but the fates of parties led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, who are both running for president, remain in limbo.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections officially certified the Constitution Party on Tuesday in a unanimous vote. However, the board once again deferred action on the “We the People” and “Justice for All” parties, which are led by Kennedy and West, respectively.
“I’m a little disappointed and at a loss at how this board is dragging its feet on this issue,” Republican board member Kevin Lewis said.
Last month, the board’s Democratic majority voted against certifying the parties, but said they would revisit the matter after investigating concerns about misleading petition-gatherers and voters who asked for their signatures to be removed.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the board’s lawyer said that board Chair Alan Hirsch, a Democrat, authorized subpoenas to nine people and groups involved in the petition processes and the board had not had sufficient time to collect and review the information. He did not set a date for a second vote on certification.
July 1 was the statutory deadline for new candidates to file for office. The board’s lawyer, however, said he doesn’t believe this deadline applies to presidential candidates and that prior court precedent could allow the board to waive it.
A board member noted that the parties could sue the board for ballot access, as the Green Party successfully did in 2022.
Republicans and independents at the national and state level have decried the board’s handling of the parties, suggesting they are seeking to eliminate competitors to President Joe Biden.
“This board is yet again engaging in blatant partisanship, this time clearly aimed at preserving the political prospects of Democrats, specifically President Joe Biden in this state’s General Election,” NC GOP Chair Jason Simmons said in a letter to board members on Monday.
At the meeting last month, the board’s two Republicans voted in favor of certifying the parties and suggested that the majority was yielding to political pressure from Democratic groups that sought to eliminate challengers to Biden.
Prior to the vote, the North Carolina Democratic Party and a group tied to Biden lobbied the board to vote against certification.
The group, Clear Choice Action, sent a lengthy letter to the state board alleging that it had found thousands of deficiencies in JFA’s petition sheets. Clear Choice also contacted signers of Kennedy’s and West’s petitions to question them about their decision.
Last week, high-ranking Republicans in Congress requested information from the board regarding its decision to block the third parties.
“The NCSBE’s decision ensures that some otherwise qualified candidates will not garner votes in the November election, which will inevitably influence the election and potentially sway the electoral results,” said the letter, signed by U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
State lawmakers are also seeking testimony from the board. The North Carolina House Oversight Committee will hear from Hirsch and Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell at a meeting on July 23.
“Democratic partisans on the State Board of Elections have ignored clear state law and refused to certify third parties that pose a threat to Joe Biden in November,” House Speaker Tim Moore said in a statement. “This is election interference at its worst, and I anticipate the House Oversight and Reform Committee will examine the board’s decisions.”
The board asked the Constitution Party to submit its candidates within the next few weeks. The national Constitution Party nominated anti-abortion activist Randall Terry as its presidential candidate in April.
This story was originally published July 9, 2024 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Vote delayed on Kennedy and West campaigns, but a new party will be on the NC ballot."
