Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections, aiming to have his name removed from the upcoming 2024 presidential ballot, as first reported by the News & Observer and further detailed by WRAL. Kennedy's legal challenge, submitted to Wake County Superior Court, asserts that the board's refusal to accommodate his withdrawal as a third-party candidate breaches state election law and his constitutional right to free speech.
With the November election approaching and deadlines for ballot changes nearing, Kennedy is seeking immediate relief through a lawsuit, as reported by WBTV. His campaign, now ended and supporting former President Donald Trump faces challenges with ballot issues that could unintentionally benefit his opponents.
In a statement he made in Phoenix, Arizona, Kennedy disclosed his fears of inadvertently tipping the scales towards the Democrats, "Our polling consistently showed that by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues," he revealed in a briefing that was noted by The Guardian. His lawsuit comes after a deliberate decision to suspend his presidential bid on August 23 and seek the removal of his name from ballots in 10 states, particularly those swing states where his presence could potentially harm Trump's close contest with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
This legal maneuver represents Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s latest effort to mitigate what he sees as potentially substantial impacts on the election outcome, while the North Carolina election board's last Thursday refusal has spurred the We the People party nominee to take this issue to court arguing that the board's action, or lack thereof, infringes upon his freedom of expression and state election statutes, this according to information provided by the New York Post.
