Kanye West kicked off ballots in Virginia, Arizona

Judges have ordered the removal of presidential candidate Kanye West from the ballots in Virginia and Arizona on Thursday.

According to The Washington Post, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Joi Jeter-Taylor made the ruling on a lawsuit on behalf of two people who say they were tricked into signing an “Elector Oath” backing West’s candidacy. Under state law, a candidate must have 13 electors pledge their support for a candidate as part of the criteria to appear on the ballot.

The lawsuit alleges that 11 of West’s 13 electors may be invalid and asks the court to block West’s name from appearing on ballots.

West supported President Donald Trump for reelection until announcing his own presidential bid in July.

In Arizona, a Maricopa County judge ruled that West will not be on the presidential ballot in November, KNPX reported.

An Arizona resident asked a judge to bar West from appearing on the state’s Nov. 3 ballot, accusing the hip hop artist of serving as an election spoiler and arguing that a law prohibits him from running in the state as an independent presidential candidate.

West’s lawyer on Wednesday reported filing just under 58,000 signatures, well over the roughly 39,000 required for independent candidates to make the ballot.

Lawyers for resident Rasean Clayton said in a lawsuit filed Monday that independent presidential candidates can appear on Arizona’s ballot if they aren’t registered with a recognized political party and gather enough voter signatures to nominate them. But Clayton’s lawyers say West, who paid top dollar to dozens of workers gathering petition signatures in Arizona, isn’t qualified to be on the ballot because he’s a registered Republican.

West has qualified to appear on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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