RICHMOND, Va. - A judge in Richmond has ordered musician Kanye West to be removed from Virginia's ballot for the 2020 presidential election.
According to CBS 6 in Richmond, a Richmond Circuit Court on Thursday found that 11 of the elector oaths were obtained by "improper, fraudulent, or misleading means, or are otherwise invalid because of notarial violations and misconduct" and do not count towards the minimum requirement.
In late August, the Virginia Department of Elections confirmed that West qualified to appear on the Commonwealth's ballot. According to the VDOE website, in order to appear on Virginia’s ballot as an Independent, candidates must gather petition signatures from 5,000 qualified Virginia voters and receive a pledge and notarized oath from 13 electors.
Two Suffolk residents filed a lawsuitto get West off the ballot in Virginia. The lawsuit alleges that 11 of West’s 13 electors may be invalid and asks the court to block West’s name from appearing on ballots.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring filed a response, calling on the court system to sort out the issue as quickly as possible.
News 3 also spoke with one elector Wednesday who said she was approached about signing election forms outside of a grocery store in Charlottesville.
"I'm 100% sure his name was not mentioned," she said. "I do think it was very misleading, especially if I'm not the only one."
After the lawsuit was filed, News 3 attempted to reach West's campaign Wednesday but didn't hear back. A spokesperson with the VDOE said they don't comment on pending litigation.
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