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Kanye West remains off Virginia ballots after appeal denied by Supreme Court of Virginia

Election-2020 Kanye West-Virginia
Posted at 5:00 PM, Sep 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-17 17:00:20-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- Kanye West will not appear on Virginia presidential ballots after the Supreme Court of Virginia denied his appeal Thursday.

West filed an appeal last week seeking to overturn a ruling to keep him off ballots this November.

"Having considered the record and arguments presented, we find it is not 'appropriate under the circumstances of th[is] case' to alter the temporary injunction," the court said in their decison.

Attorney General Mark Herring released a statement applauding the ruling.

"I'm pleased the Supreme Court of Virginia agreed with me today and denied Kanye West's appeal," said Herring. "This case could have thrown the election into chaos, drastically changing the ballot and potentially disenfranchising tens of thousands of Virginians during an election that has brought challenges like none we have ever dealt with before. Today's ruling will keep things on track and help to ensure that every single vote is counted in November."

Eariler this month, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Joi Taylor issued an order saying West was disqualified because he had failed to meet the requirement that 13 people in the state pledge support for his campaign.

A law firm with ties to prominent Democrats filed a lawsuit attempting to keep the rapper off Virginia presidential ballots.

Attorneys for Perkins Coie filed the lawsuit in Richmond on behalf of two people who say they were tricked into signing an “Elector Oath” backing West’s candidacy.

The West campaign submitted 13 such "Elector Oaths," but the judge declared 11 of them invalid. She also found "that the notice of qualification issued by the Department of Elections to Kanye West...is contrary to Virginia law, and is therefore, invalid."

In response, West has filed an appeal and hired two new lawyers with BakerHostetler, Trevor Stanley and Mark Braden.

West also filed a motion for expedited consideration as September 4 was the state's ballot printing deadline.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.