Kanye West sues in Wisconsin and Ohio in order to get on the ballot.

Kanye West. David Shankbone. 

Kanye West has filed lawsuits in Wisconsin and Ohio in order to get on the ballot for the 2020 presidential election. WBAY. West sued in Brown County Wisconsin arguing that the state election commission exceeded its authority by rejecting his application. West filed his paperwork at 5:00 pm and 14 seconds and has already lost in court arguing that was close enough to the filing deadline. Now his campaign is alleging that the paperwork would have been filed at 4:30pm that day but the election commission would not open the doors. West did have enough signatures to get on the ballot in Wisconsin. West is also suing in Ohio arguing that his rejection there was unconstitutional. West is on the ballot in 9 states but has been rejected or failed to file in the majority of states. 

My Comment:

I actually think that West has a pretty good argument that he and his campaign got screwed over by the election commission. He had enough signatures to get on the ballot and he tried to file on time but was prevented from doing so by the election commission. If it's true that they didn't open the doors for him that just seems like bias and I think the judge should rule in West's favor. 

That being said, I think the late lawsuits in Wisconsin and Ohio are symptomatic of a larger problem for the West campaign. He waited far too long to join the race and now it's pretty much impossible for him to gain enough votes to win in 2020. Even if he wins all the states he qualfies in he wouldn't be able to get more than 77 electoral votes. If he wins the suits in Wisconsin and Ohio, that's 28 more but still well short of the 270 he needs to win. 

It makes me wonder why West is even bothering at this point. I think there is an argument to be made that the election commission in Wisconsin should be exposed for what they are accused of doing in West's lawsuit, but it's not likely that West has any hope of actually winning. His campaign is pretty useless at this point. 

I know Democrats think that West is running just to try and screw over Joe Biden. They argue that most of West's voters are going to come from Joe Biden and by having him on the ballot it could cost Democrats states. I don't know if I trust that argument as having read West's platform he doesn't seem to have much appeal to the current "woke" base of the Democratic voters. Indeed, given that West is a pro-gun, anti-abortion, pro-marijuana legalization candidate, it's hard to say who he is going to drain votes from. Indeed, I think he might end up being a bigger threat to President Trump than he is to Joe Biden. 

But I don't think that is what West is doing. I'm not hugely familiar with the man but I do think that he seems to be a genuine person and I think he does want to be President. He has strong political opinions and his friendship with Trump hasn't kept him from running against him. My guess is that his desire to win is genuine and that his run is legit. 

Will Kanye West's run effect the election? I don't think so. As of this writing the only swing state he has qualified for the ballot in is Minnesota. He may yet qualify in Iowa and Virginia, but I think those states are safe red and safe blue respectively, regardless of West being on the ballot. If he wins in Ohio and Wisconsin that might have an effect but honestly, Ohio is pretty solidly red and, if the dozens of Trump signs I see every time I go for a drive are any indication, so is Wisconsin. 

Still, both the Green Party and Libertarian Party had a pretty big effect in 2016. Neither of those parties have gained any kind of buzz, so if there is going to be a third party candidate that has any effect at all it's going to be Kanye West. Nobody has ever heard of Jo Jorgensen or Howie Hawks but everyone knows who West is and I think he could be where the votes of people who don't like either party will go. Even if it's a write in campaign, West could get a few votes.