West’s application to appear on the November ballot in his home state had been challenged by three objections as of Tuesday, one day after the deadline to file objections had passed. Anyone can question the validity of an attempt to appear on the ballot and file an objection with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The entertainer is running as an independent and Illinois requires applications to be accompanied by 2,500 valid signatures from registered voters. Republican and Democratic candidates wishing to appear on the state’s ballot require 25,000 signatures.
Objections are typically launched over claims of signature forgeries, duplicated signatures, illegible signatures, signatures with incomplete address or signatures from ineligible people, like those who are not registered to vote or who reside out of state.
One objector to West’s application is claiming that fewer than 1,000 signatures out of about 3,200 the campaign submitted to the state are legitimate, with the rest being invalid, according to a report from TMZ. The outlet also reports that a hearing in the matter is scheduled to take place next week.
An Illinois State Board of Elections official told Newsweek that further details of all three objections could not be discussed until they are made public until after a board meeting on August 3.
Once the objections have been examined by hearing officers, recommendations will be made at an August 21 meeting and a final decision will be issued on whether West will be allowed to appear on the ballot.
West announced his candidacy on July 4 and has since applied to appear on ballots in at least 5 states, most recently in New Jersey on Tuesday. However, filing deadlines in key states including Florida, Texas and Michigan have already passed and an application in South Carolina was rejected after officials said West missed the deadline.
It was unclear whether he would stay in the race at all less than two weeks after he announced his bid. Reports emerged that he was dropping out shortly before he officially filed as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission on July 16.
West, who had previously been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, claimed to be “taking the red hat” off for his presidential bid during a July 8 interview with Forbes. Trump initially welcomed the rival candidacy, calling it a “great trial run” for a 2024 campaign during a July 7 interview with Real Clear Politics.
His presidential run comes amid reported difficulties in his relationship with his wife Kim Kardashian West, who has expressed concerns about mental health issues caused by his bipolar disorder.
West’s mental health was also questioned after his first campaign rally in South Carolina last week, where he wore a bullet proof vest with “2020” shaved into the side of his head while delivering a rambling speech that saw him break down in tears while speaking about abortion.
The speech also featured West making controversial and dubious claims about iconic abolitionist and former slave Harriet Tubman, who historians agree played a critical role in missions to free around 70 slaves, remarking that she “never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people.”
Newsweek reached out to West’s representative for comment.
