Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will reportedly not attend next week’s debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden in Atlanta, Georgia.
The former Democrat appears unable to meet CNN’s stringent voting access requirements by Thursday. The Washington Post Reports.
CNN noted in May that in order to qualify for the June 27 debate, candidates “must appear on the ballot in enough states to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to win the White House.” post Kennedy currently stands to win 100 electoral votes, taking into account his own certified states and others such as California and Hawaii, according to CNN, which considers him the presumptive nominee of the minority party.
The Kennedy campaign has spent months gathering the signatures required by states to allow independent candidates (candidates without a political party affiliation) to appear on the November ballot. Those signatures are reviewed by state election officials before a candidate is approved to run. Kennedy could also appear on a state’s ballot if he is nominated by a minor party that has already petitioned to appear on the ballot. But many election officials told The Washington Post that they won’t approve such petitions or endorse minor party candidates for several weeks, making it impossible for Kennedy to meet the requirements in time for the debate.
Kennedy campaign’s online ballot access tracking system show As of Wednesday, some two dozen states had completed petition submissions, and if all state petitions are officially approved, Trump will have 310 electoral votes.
That’s up from the 14 states the company claimed to have completed petitions in when CNN published its criteria on May 16, Breitbart News reported at the time.
but The Washington Post Kennedy has so far been certified on the ballot in five states, according to the campaign’s ballot access analysis.
When you click on a state classified as “petition complete” on the campaign’s website, you’re directed to the phrase, “We’re on the ballot.”
Kathleen McGrath, a spokeswoman for the New York Board of Elections, The Washington Post The classification in New York is “premature,” with certification expected to occur “late summer.”
CNN reported that Trump and Biden are considered the presumptive nominees of their respective parties and meet the requirements for eligibility to vote. Had made It was clear that he would welcome Kennedy to debate with them.
To qualify, a candidate must receive 15 percent of the vote in at least four polls recognized by the network.
