The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court ruling that independent presidential candidate Cornel West will not be on the ballot in the state for the November election. The ruling, issued on Sept. 16, upheld a decision made on Aug. 23 by the Commonwealth Court, which stated that West’s campaign did not have the necessary affidavits for 14 out of his 19 presidential electors. This led to the dismissal of West’s challenge due to “laches” and the absence of “indispensable parties.”
With this decision, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt is now able to certify the official list of candidates for the upcoming election. Schmidt’s office confirmed that the official list has already been certified, allowing counties to proceed with printing the ballots and sending out mail-in ballots to voters who have requested them.
The exclusion of West from the Pennsylvania ballot reduces the field of candidates vying for the state’s 19 electoral votes. The remaining candidates on the ballot include former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and Libertarian Chase Oliver.
West’s campaign did not provide a comment following the ruling. However, Edwin DeJesus, a spokesperson for the campaign, mentioned that they are prepared to face the challenges ahead and ensure that West’s message reaches every corner of the state. The campaign had previously won ballot access in Virginia.
The challenge to West’s candidacy in Pennsylvania was initiated by the Pennsylvania Department of State, which rejected West’s nomination papers on Aug. 1 due to missing candidate affidavits for all 19 individuals listed as his presidential electors. In response, three petitioners associated with West’s campaign filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of State and Secretary of State Schmidt.
The Commonwealth Court Judge ruled in favor of Schmidt’s office, citing “laches” as a reason for dismissing West’s candidacy paperwork. The judge also emphasized the importance of including indispensable parties in the lawsuit and upheld the interpretation of the state’s Election Code regarding affidavit requirements for minor-party presidential electors.
Overall, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision confirms that Cornel West will not be on the ballot for the November election in Pennsylvania. Please rewrite this sentence.
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