In July, the NC State Board of Elections (SBOE) voted to place the We the People Party, RFK Jr.'s political vehicle, on the North Carolina ballot. The state Democratic Party promptly sued to kick We the People off the ballot, and RFK Jr.'s lawyers successfully turned aside that challenge in Wake Superior Court on August 12th. Safely on the NC ballot, and destined to remain there as it turns out, despite RFK Jr.'s changeable mind (though this tale isn't quite told yet in its entirety).
On August 23rd, Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump (who's apparently promised to put anti-vaxxer Kennedy in charge of medical policies for the nation), but the We the People Party didn't think to formally request Kennedy's removal from the North Carolina ballot until earlier this week. When the SBOE met on Thursday -- 3 days ago -- to consider the removal request, some 1.73 million ballots had already been printed in 60 counties of the state, because under state statute absentee ballots must begin going out in the mail by September 6th, next Friday. The SBOE voted 3-2 along party lines to keep Kennedy on the ballot. The Republican Board members, carrying water for Trump, argued that the statute requiring mailed ballots by September 6th could be delayed. And damn the cost of reprinting 1.73 million new ballots!
Yesterday, RFK Jr.'s lawyers were back in Wake Superior Court suing the SBOE to do what the two Republican board members had wanted -- ignore the statute, reprint the ballots, forget Kennedy's name was ever there, like a disquieting dream that never happened.
Don't know how the Wake Superior Court judge can possibly rule in his favor.
RF Kennedy in a cabinet post is a very good reason to not vote for Trump.
ReplyDelete