Independent presidential candidate Cornel West will not appear on the ballot in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, the state's Supreme Court ruled Monday.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration is challenging West's insurgent candidacy, with the Secretary of State's office alleging that the 71-year-old far-left candidate failed to file all required paperwork by the deadline.
The state Supreme Court's decision upheld a lower court order issued last month that barred West from the November election.
Monday's ruling allows Pennsylvania officials to begin the process of printing and sending out mail-in ballots to voters, giving the state the earliest start date for mail-in voting in the nation.
“As soon as the court issues its decision, we will certify the Official List, counties will be able to prepare to mail out ballots and voters will be able to apply in person at their county elections office if they wish,” Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said. Associated Press ahead of the state Supreme Court ruling.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision means former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will appear on the state's ballot, along with Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver.
Most state and national polls have West's approval rating between 0% and 2%, and his left-leaning policy stances could draw votes away from Harris.
The race for the Keystone State in St. Louis is effectively a tie, with Harris leading the former president by 0.1 percentage point in the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.
This year, Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes at stake.
President Joe Biden defeated Trump by fewer than 100,000 votes in battleground states in 2020, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost to Trump by an even smaller margin of about 50,000 votes in 2016.
West was barred from appearing on the Michigan presidential ballot by the Michigan Department of Elections last month.
However, the Michigan Court of Claims later overturned the ruling, allowing the far-left presidential candidate to run on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The Virginia State Board of Elections also The ruling was handed down earlier this month. West will be included on the ballot despite having been previously disqualified for allegedly not having sufficient paperwork.
