by Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
August 13, 2024
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualified to be on the ballot in Washington, state election officials announced Tuesday.
He is one of nine minor party presidential hopefuls approved for the general election ballot by the secretary of state’s office. Those candidates are set to join the presidential nominees of the major parties – Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
Whether Kennedy, the nominee of the We the People Party, stays on the ballot may wind up in court.
The Washington State Democratic Party urged the secretary of state to not certify Kennedy’s nomination. Party attorneys argued in an Aug. 9 letter that signatures supporting his candidacy were not collected at a party convention as required by state law, making him ineligible to be one of voters’ choices.
Under state law, an appeal of the secretary of state’s decision must be filed with the Thurston County Superior Court no later than five days after notification. Tuesday counted as the first day. And, the same statute says an appeal “shall be heard and finally disposed of by the court within five days of the filing.”
State Democratic Party officials declined comment late Tuesday.
In 2020, nominees of four minor parties made it on the ballot. Barring any changes, here are the 11 presidential tickets Washington voters will consider this fall:
Democratic Party: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz
Republican Party: Donald Trump and J.D. Vance
We The People Party: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan
Green Party: Jill Stein and Samson LeBeau Kpadenou
Socialism and Liberation Party: Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia
Socialist Workers Party: Rachele Fruit and Dennis Richter
Socialist Equality Party: Joseph Kishore and Jerry White
Libertarian Party: Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat
Cascade Party: Krist Novoselić and James Carroll
Justice For All Party: Cornel West and Melina Abdullah
Independent Candidate: Shiva Ayyadurai and Crystal Ellis
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