Kanye West seeks place on presidential ballot in Kentucky

Rapper and music producer Kanye West has filed to run for US president on Kentucky’s ballot.

The news was revealed in a tweet from Secretary of State Michael Adams which showed part of West’s application.

He wrote: “Our staff are diligently reviewing this filing, including an estimated 19,000 petition signatures, to determine whether Mr. West has qualified to appear.”

Yep. pic.twitter.com/YyCP7QxqjL

— Michael Adams, KY Secretary of State (@KYSecState) September 4, 2020

It follows a decision this week to bar West from appearing on Arizona’s ballot, saying a voter who challenged his candidacy had shown he would probably prevail in the legal dispute.

West, who once backed Republican President Donald Trump, announced earlier that he had broken with Mr Trump and would launch his own presidential bid.

His campaign filed paperwork on July 15 with the Federal Election Commission.

West has qualified to appear on the ballot in states including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah, but did not qualify in Ohio, Montana, West Virginia, Wisconsin and other states, though he has filed lawsuits challenging some of those decisions.

Critics suggest West’s last-minute bid – and the apparent Republican support it has received – is a ploy to take votes from Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, especially in key swing states.

Representatives for West have brushed aside that criticism.