Photo Credit: Justin Prine
Kanye West has qualified to appear on Oklahoma’s presidential ballot this fall, days after he supposedly dropped out.
A representative for West filed the necessary paperwork and paid the $35,000 filing fee on Wednesday. According to the Oklahoma Board of Elections, that was the deadline to appear on the November 3 presidential ballot. West is one of three independent presidential candidates in Oklahoma to pay the fee before the deadline. Others included concert pianist Jade Simmons and cryptocurrency entrepreneur Brock Pierce.
The new filing in Oklahoma comes just a day after adviser Steve Kramer was quoted saying, “he’s out.” The statement was about Kanye West’s aspirations of appearing on the ballot in Florida. But confusion remains because TMZ reports that the West campaign filed a “Statement of Organization” with the Federal Election Commission.
That paperwork states that a Kanye 2020 committee would serve as the principal campaign committee for his presidential candidacy. The deadline to appear on the ballot in several significant states has already passed. At this time, it’s unclear if Kanye will gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot in other states.
Kanye West first announced his presidential candidacy on July 4.
Days later, he gave a bizarre and rambling interview to Forbes, making several strange statements. He told Forbes he planned to run the White House like the fictional nation of Wakanda, from Black Panther. During that interview, he denounced his support for Trump and slammed Joe Biden’s statements.
“Planned Parenthoods have been placed inside cities by white supremacists to do the Devil’s work, “West told his interviewer. The comments drew harsh criticism from the organization that provides medical care to underserved communities. West’s statements about Planned Parenthood appear at odds with his wife, Kim Kardashian-West, who has supported the organization since 2017.
A report from TMZ says his family is actively concerned he’s having another bi-polar episode. Those around him say they are concerned the episode has impacted his decision-making in the short term. In 2018, Kanye West confirmed he was not taking medication to manage his condition because it stifles his creativity.
Since that interview, Kanye has publicly come out as a Trump supporter, tweeting himself wearing a MAGA hat. He eventually met with Trump in the White House, sharing some strange ideas about how he thinks the country should be run. A national poll conducted yesterday found Kanye West polled at about 2% if he were to appear on the ballot.