Current:Home > StocksNorth Carolina court orders RFK Jr.'s name to be removed just before ballots are sent -Wealth Evolution Experts
North Carolina court orders RFK Jr.'s name to be removed just before ballots are sent
SafeX Pro Exchange View
Date:2025-04-07 20:10:33
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina appeals court on Friday ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name must be taken off state ballots for president, upending plans in the battleground state just as officials were about to begin mailing out the nation’s first absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 presidential election.
The intermediate-level Court of Appeals issued an order granting Kennedy’s request to halt the mailing of ballots that included his name. The court also told a trial judge to order the State Board of Elections to distribute ballots without Kennedy’s name on them. No legal explanation was given.
State law otherwise required the first absentee ballots to be mailed or transmitted no later than 60 days before the general election, making Friday the deadline. The process of reprinting and assembling ballot packages likely would take more than two weeks, state attorneys have said. The ruling could be appealed.
Kennedy, the nominee of the We The People party in North Carolina, had sued last week to get off the state’s ballots after he suspended his campaign and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump. But the Democratic majority on the State Board of Elections rejected the request, saying it was too late in the process of printing ballots and coding tabulation machines. Kennedy then sued.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Rebecca Holt on Thursday denied Kennedy’s effort to keep his name off ballots, prompting his appeal. In the meantime, Holt told election officials to hold back sending absentee ballots until noon Friday.
A favorable outcome for Kennedy could assist Trump’s efforts to win the presidential battleground of North Carolina. Trump won the state’s electoral votes by just 1.3 percentage points over Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
More than 132,500 people — military and overseas workers and in-state civilian residents — have requested North Carolina absentee ballots so far, the State Board of Elections said.
In an email, state board attorney Paul Cox told election directors in all 100 counties after Friday’s ruling to hold on to the current ballots but not send them. More than 2.9 million absentee and in-person ballots have been printed so far.
No decision has been made on appealing Friday’s decision, Cox wrote, and removing Kennedy and running mate Nicole Shanahan from the ballot would be “a major undertaking for everyone,” Cox wrote.
Since Kennedy suspended his campaign, the environmentalist and author has tried to get his name removed from ballots in several states where the race between Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris are expected to be close.
Kennedy on Wednesday sued in Wisconsin to get his name removed from the presidential ballot there after the state elections commission voted to keep him on it. Kennedy also filed a lawsuit in Michigan but a judge ruled Tuesday that he must remain on the ballot there.
veryGood! (8589)
Related
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Officials recover New Mexico woman’s body from the Grand Canyon, the 3rd death there since July 31
- Consumers—and the Environment—Are Going to Pay for Problems With the Nation’s Largest Grid Region
- Tropical Storm Debby pounding North Carolina; death toll rises to 7: Live updates
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- See first look at Travis Kelce hosting 'Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?'
- Julianne Moore’s Son Caleb Freundlich Engaged to Kibriyaá Morgan
- Michelle Pfeiffer joins 'Yellowstone' universe in spinoff 'The Madison' after Kevin Costner drama
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Why Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker Is Doubling Down on Controversial Speech Comments
Ranking
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- 1000-Lb. Sisters' Tammy Slaton Shares Glimpse at Hair Transformation
- Alabama man faces a third murder charge in Oklahoma
- Samsung is recalling more than 1 million electric ranges after numerous fire and injury reports
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Police Weigh in on Taylor Swift's London Concerts After Alleged Terror Attack Plot Foiled in Vienna
- Average rate on a 30-year mortgage falls to 6.47%, lowest level in more than a year
- Utah bans 13 books at schools, including popular “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series, under new law
Recommendation
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
Tennis Star Rafael Nadal Shares Honest Reason He Won’t Compete at 2024 US Open
Tell Me Lies' Explosive Season 2 Trailer Is Here—And the Dynamics Are Still Toxic AF
Morocco topples Egypt 6-0 to win Olympic men’s soccer bronze medal
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
Team USA's Grant Holloway wins Olympic gold medal in 110 hurdles: 'I'm a fireman'
France beats Germany 73-69 to advance to Olympic men’s basketball gold medal game
Aaron Rodgers Shares Where He Stands With His Family Amid Yearslong Estrangement