RFK Jr. will not appear on ballots in North Carolina, delaying the start of mail-in voting
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina - Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name will not appear on North Carolina ballots this year, a decision that's seen as helpful to Republican nominee Donald Trump's chances in the 2024 battleground state.
The North Carolina Supreme Court ordered state election officials on Sept. 9 to remove Kennedy’s name from ballots and reprint them, which will likely cut weeks off the state’s mail-in voting period. Its decision came a day after Michigan's Supreme Court ruled Kennedy's name must stay on that state's ballot and in turn helping Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Kennedy in August suspended his presidential campaign, endorsed Trump and has tried to use the courts to ensure his name isn't directly available for voters in critical swing states - with mixed success.
The Asheville Citizen Times, a USA TODAY Network partner, previously reported that Kennedy’s name would remain on the ballot following a Wake County Superior Court ruling on Sept. 5, denying Kennedy’s request to have his name removed. Kennedy appealed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, who ruled in his favor on Sept. 6, the state-mandated deadline for counties to begin distributing mail-in absentee ballots.
The State Board of Elections appealed to the N.C. Supreme Court, which issued its ruling late on Sept. 9.
“We acknowledge that expediting the process of printing new ballots will require considerable time and effort by our election officials and significant expense to the State,” Justice Trey Allen wrote in his opinion for the majority. “But that is a price the North Carolina Constitution expects us to incur to protect voters’ fundamental right to vote their conscience and have that vote count.”
The N.C. State Board of Elections said in a news release Sept. 10 that counties will begin distributing ballots on the same date, "to ensure voters across the state have the same amount of time to cast their ballots," though that date is unknown. The Citizen Times previously reported that prepping and reprinting ballots without Kennedy’s name could take weeks.
The State Board also said it's in talks with the U.S. Department of Defense about a potential waiver if it misses the Sept. 21 federal deadline for sending out military and overseas ballots. Elections boards are required to send those ballots out no later than 45 days prior to the election.
“We will continue to consult with counties and ballot vendors to determine the feasible start date for distributing absentee ballots statewide, mindful of the goal to meet the 45-day federal deadline,” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said in the release. “This decision imposes a tremendous hardship on our county boards, at an extremely busy time. But our election officials are professionals, and I have no doubt we will rise to the challenge.”
More: RFK Jr.’s We the People party nominates NC candidates after denial by board of elections
On Sept. 10, Buncombe County Elections Director Corinne Duncan said in a Facebook Live event that 5,300 ballots will need to be reprinted. Duncan said it cost the county $30,000 to print those ballots. She estimated reprinting them would cost the county $28,500.
The total cost of reprinting ballots in North Carolina is unclear, though Common Cause North Carolina, a nonpartisan pro-democracy nonprofit, said in a Sept. 10 news release it could cost state taxpayers nearly $1 million.
“This ruling hurts voters,” Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, said in the release. “And it unduly burdens county election budgets, which are already struggling with limited resources because the state legislature refuses to provide sufficient funding for our elections.”
Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: In North Carolina, state Supreme Court orders RFK Jr. off ballot
