candidate Without a vice presidential candidate, the ballot signatures of RFK Jr. may not be considered valid in Nevada.
On Tuesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will announce his chosen running mate, however, an unexpected issue has arisen in Nevada that could potentially make it more difficult for the independent candidate to secure a spot on the state’s ballot.
Kennedy’s vice presidential pick comes as he needs a running mate to qualify for the ballot in multiple states. And despite the campaign’s announcement earlier this month celebrating amassing 15,000 signatures in Nevada, which exceeds what’s needed to get on the ballot in November, the campaign could be forced to start its signature collection from scratch in the state because it failed to name a running mate when it filed Kennedy’s petition, according to documents filed by Kennedy.
According to the guide for Nevada’s presidential candidates, independent petitions must contain the names of both the presidential and vice presidential candidates in order to be considered valid. This has been confirmed by the Nevada Secretary of State’s office.
2016 presidential campaign
The Democratic National Committee has submitted a formal complaint to the Federal Election Commission regarding Kennedy’s 2016 bid for the presidency.independent presidential campaign
According to the complaint, there has been illegal collaboration between Kennedy’s campaign and American Values 2024, a super PAC that supports him, when it comes to ballot access.
American Values 2024 has announced that it will halt the collection of signatures for ballot placement on their behalf. This decision comes after the organization reached the required number of signatures in Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, and South Carolina.
The Political Action Committee is now shifting its focus to combat attempts by the Democratic and Republican parties to undermine third-party campaigns.
Due to the success of the campaign, we will no longer be gathering signatures in any more states. Our organization, as stated in a recent press release, will continue to oppose the [Democratic National Committee] or [Republican National Committee] in their attempts to impede the constitutional right of American voters. This right is strongly desired by the majority of citizens who want independent candidates to have a spot on the ballot.
On March 7, the Nevada Secretary of State’s office issued a memo to all independent presidential candidates who were petitioning for ballot access. The memo explicitly stated that their submissions to the office needed to include a declaration of candidacy and a petition of candidacy, as well as the designation of a potential nominee for Vice President. This announcement came two days after Kennedy announced that his campaign had obtained enough signatures to meet the necessary threshold.
Both the Democratic and Republican parties typically reveal their choice for vice president just before their respective nominating conventions. During these conventions, the chosen presidential and vice presidential candidates officially accept their party’s nomination. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for August 19-24 and the Republican National Convention will take place from July 15-18.
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Source: cbsnews.com