The North Carolina election board has recently made headlines by denying two political parties' bids to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West as their candidates for the upcoming 2024 election. Both the We the People Party and the Justice for All Party submitted more than the required 13,865 valid signatures to register as political parties.
While Republican members of the election board supported the parties' efforts for formal recognition, three Democrats on the board raised concerns about how the third parties presented themselves during the signature collection process and whether voters fully understood their objectives.
As a result, a delay has been put in place to investigate whether the two parties were operating as coherent political organizations or merely as a means to endorse Kennedy and West as 'independent' candidates. Independent candidates in North Carolina face a significantly higher signature threshold of 83,188 to qualify for the ballot.
Board Chair Alan Hirsch clarified that the challenge was not meant to deny the parties' status but to ensure that the signatories were aware of the purpose and intent behind the petitions they signed. The election board is scheduled to reconvene on July 9 to reconsider the parties' request for formal recognition.
Reacting to the board's decision, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley criticized the delay in certification as a move to prevent Kennedy from appearing on the ballot, a situation that Democratic strategists have warned could impact President Biden's chances in the November election.
Whatley condemned the board's actions as undermining trust in democratic institutions and manipulating the electoral process to maintain political power. He emphasized that all options were being considered to address the issue at hand.
