Cornel West Cleared To Appear On Virginia Ballot After Legal Victory

Cornel West will now be included on Virginia’s presidential ballot, following a reversal by the state’s Department of Elections. The department initially disqualified West due to technical issues with elector forms but has now cleared him and his running mate, Melina Abdullah, for the November election.

West’s campaign said the issue stemmed from a new requirement for elector forms that took effect after the campaign had already submitted its paperwork. The Virginia Department of Elections reconsidered its decision after acknowledging the campaign wasn’t made aware of the changes.

This is the second time West has had to fight for ballot access. He recently secured a court victory in Michigan, where the state initially tried to disqualify him over problems with his petition. The court ruled that Michigan had erred, allowing West to remain on the ballot in a critical battleground state.

Virginia, while not typically viewed as a battleground state, has seen tighter polling in recent months. According to RealClearPolitics, Vice President Kamala Harris leads President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup, polling at 48% to 44%. However, when independent candidates are added, Harris’ lead narrows to 44%, with Trump at 40.5% and West polling at 1%.

The inclusion of West and other independent candidates could change the political landscape in the final stretch before the election.